Shelved at Lionsgate with an unknown US release, like many others, I've grown tired of waiting for films that are already completed and having to sit back and watch as other countries get them before we do. Released to Russian theaters in January and to DVD a month later, after having finally watched Kill Theory it turned out to be a film that I wasn't really missing out on to begin with, but still proved to be a decent watch.

The story has been seen before, but not specifically for the slasher sub-genre -- we follow a group of young 20-somethings vacationing at a secluded lake house (how original!). Shortly after arriving, one of their own is killed and thrown through a window with a video tape strapped to them. While playing the tape, it's revealed that the deceased girl was given a choice to kill her boyfriend as he slept that night or to be killed herself. She chose to sacrifice herself as the killer slices her throat. The voice on the tape then reveals that each member of the group must kill each other, with only one left standing by 6 AM. If more than one person is alive, the remaining will die, leaving no survivors.

The film's premise is interesting, however the execution and acting could've used a lot more work. This might explain why it went under reshoots at one point. I'm sure you're wondering why the group just doesn't try to escape the house? Well the killer is apparently also a great shot with the rifle, so he'd be able to pick them off as they scramble to the car. Aside from the story about the group having to kill each other, the rest of the flick is your pretty standard and clichéd slasher. We've got your typical group of characters (minus the token minority character, who usually plays the comedy relief), all of which can be easily guessed as to who survives and who doesn't.

The story was a bit weak, and they could've played more on the group breaking down and turning on each other. On the plus side the gore is pretty decent, offering a couple somewhat grizzly deaths. As the film progresses, so does the violence. We don't actually get to see the killer until the final moments of the film, and even then we don't really see much of him on-screen. It's sad, because he carried around a pretty sweet lookin' knife that I would've liked to have seen more action with. Although the movie offered a number of faults, it kept my interest and I liked the change it offered for the average slasher.

A decent film that although has a number of faults, still manages to be entertaining. Despite the lacking story, it offered a change to your standard slasher, which kept me interested. Worth a check if you've got nothing else, but don't expect a whole lot.