The Omicron Killer (dir. Jeff Knite)
By: Adam Freed
The Omicron Killer is likely to divide audiences more aggressively than the coming presidential election. While America’s future certainly doesn’t ride on Jeff Knite’s playfully sadistic horror film, it will certainly earn some rather vehement responses, pulling in two very polarized directions. Unlike universally accepted box office savior Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Knite’s sequel to The Covid Killer (2021) provides no opportunity for Americans to set their fractured agendas aside and find common ground. This is because on the basis of any possible metric by which films of any genre can be measured, The Omicron Killer is not a successful movie. BUT, this is where evaluating a film of its fuzzy nature gets interesting, and it is pretty clear that Jeff Knite knows it.
Shudder, the subscription based streaming service dedicated exclusively to the horror genre is overflowing with bloody content that audiences to whom it is directed, simply adore. Many of these films are created by ambitious creatives like Jeff Knite who give birth to gruesome concepts and deliver low budget scares directly to appropriate pleasure seeking audiences. In the eyes of this late night, potentially “mind enhanced” community of fans, The Omicron Killer may become a horror cult classic. After all, the film proudly embraces nearly every hallmark of horror greatness. It features a memorable villain, in this case an oversized silent killer (nod to his Covid-19 variant namesake) who brutally victimizes a bevy of unsuspecting souls using a tire iron. The film also hosts a variety of creative murder set pieces, in which the end result is apparent, but the homicidal payoff proves satisfying. Jeff Knite’s blood smeared fever dream also marches forth a host of irrationally violent cops, a satanic blood drinking cult and even some obligatory nudity for good measure. The contents of this paragraph alone will be enough to sell The Omicron Killer to its intended audience. For everyone else, it should be mentioned that Jeff Knite’s film is better enjoyed if viewed as parody.
It is very clear that the rather large cast of Knite’s film had a great time in the production of The Omicron Killer, which is good because outside of working in this tier of entertainment, their options may be limited. With respect for the amount of time and effort that goes into a production of this nature, cries of a limited budget must fall on deaf ears when horror heavyweights Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Blair Witch Project (1999) were made for $10,000 and $60,000 respectively and are both far superior in concept and execution. There is without a question an audience that will fall in love with Jeff Knite’s quirky blood soaked The Omicron Killer, it may be that this group appreciates the film as parody, but regardless, a group of people exist that will feel seen by this film. It is objectively a great thing to live in a country that champions artists to follow their creative passions. After all, low budget horror films and their criticism share a lot more in common than many people may think. Both will be instantly dismissed by some, while being appropriately valued by others. Finally, something on which most Americans can agree.
Target Score 2.5/10 - If viewed through the lens of parody, Jeff Knite’s The Omicron Killer is a humorous and ambitious attempt at a tone bending genre mashup. Chalk full of blood, guts and mayhem, this film will likely be beloved by the late night absurdist crowd. For common audiences, this slasher is just a bloody mess.