KILLJOY is a mind bending thriller about a woman’s paranoia and her descent into madness that may just reveal a deep truth
When JOY is granted a restraining order from SIMON, her friends pressure her to throw a party and celebrate her freedom. But as the party intensifies, her friends start acting strangely and Joy becomes convinced that Simon has found her – causing the night, and her psyche, to spiral out of control.
Directed by Ian Fisher, KILLJOY toys with the character’s psychological breakdown. Joy (played by Rachel Alig) is swiftly developed with time, giving the audience time to grow compassion and connection with her. Which ultimately makes the final outcome all the more special.
Houdini said, “What the eyes see, and the ears hear, the mind believes.” The ability to shape perception is one of the most powerful things a film can achieve. Filmmaking gives us the ability to convince an audience of whatever reality we create – which, in and of itself, is amazing.
But the ability to shape an audience’s perception, and then pull the rug out, reveal a hidden truth, and show the audience that they had all the clues they needed to see through the deception – that’s magic. And that is the power of a twist.
A good twist is hard to pull off, but when a good twist lands and an audience is left shocked, asking questions, wanting more – that is something truly special… And that’s what I hoped to achieve with KILLJOY.