Notorious killers the James Boys, Odessa (Dave Larson) and Kyle (David Gunn), who murdered their parents in cold blood, have escaped from San Quentin and find themselves on the run from a nationwide manhunt in a turbulent thunderstorm. They decide to seek shelter in a random suburban household, taking hostage the ‘gee golly’ All-American nuclear family, the Ryans, who dwells within. The James brothers think it’s a little odd when the teenage daughters and their mother profess to be big fans of the them, having followed every step of their trial on TV. But that’s nothing compared to the bizarre secrets this family holds. Soon enough the James Boys find that they may have met their match and may not make it out of this night alive.

If you have never seen a Mike Mendez film (The Convent, Big Ass Spider! Satanic Hispanics), you are missing out on some funtacular craziness. With his debut feature film Killers, Mendez bursts out of the gates with guns blazing, delivering one weird twist after another, plunging his audience into a post-Tarantino funhouse of insanity with sharp, clever dialogue and a strong central performance from David Gunn in particular. If you are looking for a film you want to relate to, look elsewhere. Everyone in Killers is out of the damn minds. The appeal is in watching which lunatic is going to come out on top. Mendez directs the film with a carnival-esque atmosphere, embracing the madness of it and not being afraid to completely pull the rug out from under his audience in service of even more insane situations. The film also looks great for a low budget affair (only $100,000 if IMDB is to be believed) and the pacing never flags. Not surprising given Mendez’ long resume as a film editor for other directors as well. You may think reading this that I may have given too much of the movie away. But trust me when I say that this thing has some pretty wild curveballs to throw at you that you almost certainly won’t see coming.

Killers come to HD via a scan provided by Multicom Entertainment Group and looks quite good for such a low budget feature. The black levels are solid and there’s only a little dirt and debris on the image at times. The grain levels are fairly heavy but never overwhelmingly so. I don’t think we’ll ever see this movie look better. We also get a solid 2.0 surround audio track that, while never really sounding truly blustery, remains consistent and clean with no noticeable distortion. The primary extra on the disc is a feature-length audio commentary with director Mendez and author/horror journalist Michael Gingold. It’s a great commentary that goes into all sorts of details about the making of the film. Mendez is a naturally talkative person with a good memory and makes the commentary well worth a listen for anyone interested in how this nutso movie was put together. We also get trailers and an alternate ending as well as a physical booklet including a nice essay from film critic/writer Heather Drain.

Killers is an incredibly fun rollercoaster ride of a film made even more impressive given its first time feature credentials. If you are a fan of over-the-top maximalist horror that is sure to befuddle you at every turn, Killers will deliver. Guaranteed.