[Review] I Make Corpses (Blood in the Snow 2017): Serial Killer Thrives During Zombie Apocalypse

Filmmaker Kyle Martellacci tackled body horror and science fiction in his 2016 outing Candy Skin; now he’s back with another genre-hybrid short. I Make Corpses is a dark-hearted combination of a pre-slasher grindhouse movie and a zombie apocalypse tale, a sort of The Last Serial Killer on Earth by way of George S. Romero and Lucio Fulci.

I Make Corpses is a grim, unrelenting look at at the life and crimes of serial killer Ben (Bradley Hamilton in a solid performance), who has something of a field day with his murderous work now that a full-fledged ghoul outbreak has taken place. He ruminates, by way of inner monologue, on how he can easily dispose of his victim’s bodies and have it look like the deaths were caused by ghouls (who, in this version, eat corpses as well as living humans). Kyle Martellacci shows Ben performing his handiwork, but what he does in his leisure time is equally disturbing.

The short’s lighting is dominated by lurid shades of red, blue, purple, and green that would make Fulci and Dario Argento proud, and Kyle Martellaci uses film grain effects marvelously. The special FX makeup by Sandra Gatien of On Scene FX is superb, recalling work from classic zombie fare while adding original flourishes. William McTavish’s score adds to the eeriness of the proceedings.

Kyle Martellaci – who wrote, directed, filmed, edited and produced – balances visceral and psychological horror to great effect in I Make Corpses. The murder scenes are discomfitting, and the scenes with ghouls are eerie, indeed. The result is a truly macabre outing sure to leave viewers with an unsettling feeling.

For more information on I Make Corpses and Kyle Martellacci’s other films, visit https://www.redrazorpictures.com/

I Make Corpses screens at Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival, which runs November 23—26 at the Royal Cinema in Toronto, Canada.

(4 / 5)

Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry fell in love with horror films as a preschooler when he first saw the Gill-Man swim across the TV screen in "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" and Mothra battle Godzilla in "Godzilla Vs. The Thing.” His education in fright fare continued with TV series such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," along with legendary northern California horror host Bob Wilkins’ "Creature Features." His love for silver age and golden age comic books, including horror titles from Gold Key, Dell, and Marvel started around age 5.

He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Horror Fuel, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right.

A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.