KILLER COCKS Invade Texas [New Blood News]

Last month, I had the pleasure to attend a film shoot for a local indie horror feature, smack dab in the middle of Central Texas, my neck of the woods. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on any set, let alone a horror one, so this was an opportunity I wouldn’t allow myself to pass up! I wanted to witness movie magic right in front of my face again, to see behind the curtains, to observe the strings pulled to make the blood-stained puppets dance to appease whatever sleazy art gods exist in realms unknown. The name of the film? Killer Cocks

… As in chickens, you gutter goblins.

In the film:

“After a mysterious meteor shower crashes into Wacky, Texas, the chickens start mutating into bloodthirsty killing machines. Two local egg farmers, outcast, and some local heroes band together to fight off the feathered freaks of nature.”

Think of it as a spiritual successor to Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, complete with Lloyd Kaufman. The way the film was made permeated this feeling—good ol’ homemade gonzo-horror complete with hammy acting, crude jokes, and plenty of fake blood to keep the schlock gears lubricated. Several familiar faces from the indie-horror scene were there, including Steven Livengood (actor and host of the podcast Reaper’s Underground) and his partner Kelsey Livengood (star of such films as Clown Motel 2 and Night of the Dead Sorority Babes). Each of them, purveyors of the lower-budget horror artscape, had the same mindset and energy flowing through them.

Everyone I met shared an intense love for the genre, and showed it without any hesitation. Blood spilled, chickens killed, and laughter infected the crew as the absurdity of the film was brought to life before my very eyes. This is what filmmaking is supposed to be. What it always SHOULD be. An experience—a GOOD experience. Not one lacking adversity, but one to look back at fondly, not with disdain. Sure, there’s several great films made under hostile work environments, but plenty were made under a not-so-hostile work environment, as well.

Now, is Killer Cocks going to be one of those great films? No, probably not, if I’m being honest. But I do think the fun had on set will be felt on screen. At the end of the day, a film is meant to be entertaining, and I think to the right people, this will do its job flawlessly.