Killer Sofa
| Killer Sofa | |
|---|---|
 Japanese film poster | |
| Directed by | Bernie Rao |
| Written by | Bernie Rao |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Bernie Rao |
| Edited by | Bernie Rao Paulo Lourenco |
| Music by | James Dunlop |
Production company | Mad Kiwi Films |
| Distributed by | High Octane Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $85,000 |
Killer Sofa is a 2019 New Zealand low-budget direct-to-DVD comedy horror film written and directed by Bernie Rao. Starring Piimio Mei, Nathalie Morris, Harley Neville, Stacey King, Jed Brophy, Jim Baltaxe, and Grant Kereama, the film follows a living recliner that commits crimes in the name of passion for its new owner. The film was released on DVD by American distributor High Octane Pictures on 1 October 2019 and received mixed reviews from critics, though its humour was generally positively received.
Plot
[edit]Jack, a disgraced Rabbi, comes across a reclining chair containing a dybbuk inside. After the recliner is sold to Francesca, Jack, alongside his voodoo sorceress partner, must try to find out where it was delivered. Meanwhile, the recliner becomes obsessed with Francesca and starts murdering anyone who gets close to her out of jealousy due to a previous relationship.[1]
Production
[edit]The recliner cost $100. The initial title of the film was planned to be My Lover, My Lazy Boy, but the production feared being sued by the La-Z-Boy furniture company. After this, the title The Furnishing was then considered, but finally the name Killer Sofa was chosen.[2] Rao faced some limitations while filming as he only had one recliner,[3][4] which meant he was unable to film the sofa jumping from a window and crushing a person on a car, or a scene of the sofa vomiting blood as he worried it would stain the suede on the recliner.[2]
Release
[edit]The film was released on DVD on 1 October 2019 by the US-based distributor High Octane Pictures, before arriving to video-on-demand.[5]
Reception
[edit]The film received mixed reviews from critics, but reception for its humour was overall positive.[6]
Flickering Myth reviewer Matt Donato gave the film 3/4 stars and said that it is "weird, sometimes unwieldy, but should delight those who giggled incessantly at the film's properly conveyed trailer".[7] In a less positive review, Mike Phalin of Sciencefiction.com gave the film a 2.5/5 stars and said, "For a quick bit of wacky horror with a twist ending, Killer Sofa delivers on that end. Had the story and some key characters gotten a bit of tidying up in the script process, this could have been much more fun."[8]
See also
[edit]- Death Bed: The Bed That Eats
- The Refrigerator
- Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes, featuring a killer lamp
- Amityville: It's About Time, featuring a killer clock
References
[edit]- ^ Squires, John (3 September 2019) [Trailer] ‘Killer Sofa’ Brings You the Most Relaxing Way to Die This Halloween Season. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex (7 November 2019) AFM Hidden Gem: ‘Killer Sofa’ Depicts Haunting Tale About Possessed Armchair. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Sandwell, Ian (3 April 2020) Killer Sofa: the horror movie about possessed furniture that you can genuinely enjoy. "Killer Sofa is a genuine horror-comedy about a possessed recliner – not an actual sofa, sorry [...]". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Meyers, Ashley Scott (22 October 2019) SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY: Writer/Director Bernie Rao On His Latest Feature, Killer Sofa. Script Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Stephon, White (9 October 2019) Killer Sofa Interview: Talking Homicidal Furniture With Director Bernie Rao and New Zealand’s Own Jim Baltaxe. LRMonline. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Killer Sofa - 2019 at New Zealand Films – nzvideos.org. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Donato, Matt (18 September 2019) Movie Review – Killer Sofa (2019). Flickering Myth. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Phalin, Mike (23 September 2019) Movie Review: ‘Killer Sofa’. Sciencefiction.com. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- Killer Sofa at IMDb