The Killgrin – Canadian Film Fest 2025
Avid Media Composer - Right For You
March 24 to March 29, 2025
FILM FESTIVAL
Canadian Film Fest
Canadian Film Fest 2025
A grief-stricken woman finds her aura infected by a supernatural creature that feeds on misery in The Killgrin. Miranda (Konstantina Mantelos) receives an immense shock when her boyfriend, Noah (Fuad Ahmed), inexplicably jumps out of their apartment window. This triggers her buried anxiety and depression, which results in her attending a support group led by Sam (Peter MacNeill), where she meets the surprisingly enthusiastic Brian (Adam Tsekhman).
Miranda’s anxiety is heightened further when she finds a rose outside of her apartment, resulting in her fearing that her stalker ex-boyfriend Damien (Cristo Fernández) has returned. Seeking alternative wellness methods, Miranda visits psychic Amy (Lynne Griffin), who warns Miranda that a creature called a Killgrin has infected her aura and that it will get stronger the more miserable she gets. When Miranda’s friends and fellow support group members start turning up dead with bloody dislocated jaws, she begins to fear that the Killgrin may be real.
The Killgrin Synopsis
The Killgrin is the debut feature film from writer/director Joanna Tsanis, based on her 2021 short film Smile, with plot similarities to the other short-turned-feature named Smile, being presumably a coincidence. The Killgrin brings back the short film’s lead actor, Konstantina Mantelos (Anything for Jackson), who plays Miranda, a woman who is left incredibly distraught when her boyfriend Noah kills himself minutes after telling her he is feeling better from his bout with depression. This begins a downward spiral for Miranda, which is made worse by fears that her ex-boyfriend Damien, played by Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso, Venom: The Last Dance), has broken the restraining order she has against him and has resumed stalking Miranda.
It isn’t long until Miranda begins to fear that she is cursed by a supernatural creature called a Killgrin. As stated in an exposition-filled scene with Miranda’s support group leader, Sam, played by character actor Peter MacNeill (Nightmare Alley, She Never Died), one place can only handle so much pain until it starts to leak. Miranda must learn to control her pain before the Killgrin can feed on it and take her life.
My Thoughts on The Killgrin
I don’t keep it a secret that I suffer from very bad anxiety and, at times, depression, which I have been taking medication for. I’m a huge advocate for the destigmatization of mental illness, and as a result, I have become more sensitive to its depiction in films. The issues I have with The Killgrin are similar to those I had with the film Smile, in how I feel that the films are exploiting and/or trivializing mental health struggles for cheap horror thrillers.
I should begin by saying that I don’t hold this against debut filmmaker Joanna Tsanis. It wasn’t until after seeing The Killgrin that I realized that the feature was based on Tsanis’ earlier short film from four years ago, which I enjoyed at the time. However, as is sometimes the case, a premise that works well as a six-minute short film doesn’t always translate into a feature.
The Killgrin depicts its titular creature, which looks man-in-suit laughable when revealed in full in the climax, as a monstrous metaphor for suicidal thoughts. The film has characters saying that, for a moment, they wanted the Killgrin to tear them apart or that a suicidal person was happy because they knew it would be over soon. Combined with a gory killing method of forcing people into a frown until their jaw tears off, I couldn’t help but feel insulted at the depiction of depression and anxiety in The Killgrin.
Another element of The Killgrin that didn’t mesh with me was the subplot with Miranda’s fellow support group member, Brian. The subplot strays heavily into romantic comedy territory, especially as Miranda and Brian get drunk on margaritas in the latter’s apartment. While Brian does receive a small level of character development, with us learning why he is in the support group in the first place, he is ultimately a peripheral character that has no real effect on the story as a whole.
On a more positive note, The Killgrin is a very glossy and well-produced film. Apart from the actual creature design, which I was not a fan of, The Killgrin also has solid Special FX makeup by Carlos Henriques and The Butcher Shop studio, which includes a lot of bloody dislocated jaws. My disappointment with The Killgrin ultimately has more to do with my reaction to the film’s subject matter than the quality of the film itself. I’m sure that The Killgrin will find its audience and supporters; it just won’t include me.
Trailer for The Killgrin – Canadian Film Fest 2025
