KILLER SOFA: I’d Rather Stand, Thank You
Upon reading the title, the synopsis and questioning some life choices, I sat down to watch Killer Sofa. Right off, the title is incorrect. The titular villain of this schlock feature is, in fact, a recliner and not a sofa, because that would just be silly. Who would ever believe a sofa could commit murder? Not that it makes a difference or changes the experience of viewing this dreck.
Now, I understand a film about a sentient chair bent on bloodshed is stupid, even downright moronic. But let’s face it, silly premises like this have been done for years by the likes of, say, Stephen King who has written about a killer car, directed a movie about a world of maniacal electronics and even created a murderous laundry folding machine with The Mangler. These are well-treaded waters. Hell, even the indie film Rubber had a telekinetic car tire who could make people’s heads explode. So, to expect something a bit more entertaining from a psycho chair flick shouldn’t be so much to ask for.
La-Z-Oh, Boy
Before I tear into the actual film, might I suggest watching the trailer. It is so perfectly executed, one might believe this film could be something. Coulda fooled me. And it did.
This is the part where I get not so nice. If you have a ridiculous idea for a film, something which at first glance will be met with both scoffs and eye rolls, do the rest of us a favor and keep the narrative to tongue in cheek humor or at least throw out a quirky joke from time to time. Killer Sofa does none of this. Instead, the plot revolves around a drab protagonist, two dull as dirt detectives, a rabbi, and a smattering dead meat characters all of which have nothing to do in this movie. Then there’s the plot, of which I’m too tired to go into because of the convoluted backstory and end resolution which takes an overly long time to get to. Did I mention the runtime is just over eighty minutes? A paltry time frame crammed with more fluff than the recliner.
All of this leads to nothing. Anything funny or clever can be seen in the trailer. Moving on.
This Should Not Be This Complicated
Written and directed by Bernie Rao, this New Zealand export actually found a way to make something as simple as a possessed recliner into the most over conceived plot known to humanity. Did I mention this film is just over eighty minutes? I know I did, I’m just driving home the point. Some girl is a dancer, who has only dated obsessive men who stalk her and, in some case, are into the occult and her great-grandmother had the same problem, evidently. And somehow she knows this? I have a great grandmother and I’m not even sure what her first name is let alone some drama in her dating life. It all comes to a head and nothing sticks.
Killer Sofa: Credit Where Credit Is Due
Up until this point, I pretty much don’t like Killer Sofa, but let’s not get too hasty. This idea may have been conceived and executed foolheartedly though there is always a silver lining in the most terrible of storms. Accolades and kudos go out to two individuals. One. Whoever cut the trailer for this flick as stated earlier. The trailer alone gives this film any credence and in my opinion, this debacle should have stayed a short film from the jump. The second accolade goes to whoever made the evil recliner. The dead button eyes and morose expression played well on screen and the moments where it had to move or simply stare out a window menacingly were effective as hell. These were the only heroes of our story.
The final complaint would be in the final minutes of this mess where the once severely decent look of the movie switches to some badly lit video which nowhere near matches the fairly well-shot film quality seen in the rest of this mess. My advice, watch the trailer and only the trailer. The end result is infinitely more entertaining than the actual one.
Is there a sillier premise than a Killer Sofa? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch Killer Sofa
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