| Cinematography: | Vince Knight |
| Director: | Rhys Frake-Waterfield |
| Screenplay: | Craig McLearie |
| Music: | James Cox |
| Editing: | Rhys Frake-Waterfield Scott Jeffrey |
Killing Tree is a British horror film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield from 2022. The low-budget independent film tells the story of a murderous Christmas tree.
Widow Morrigan was part of a serial killer couple who murdered several families at Christmas. Her husband, Clayton Slayter, was killed by the police after murdering Faith's family. This Christmas, she brings her husband back to life with a satanic ritual. However, he is reborn as a Christmas tree. In return, he first kills his wife. He then heads towards Faith's house to finish his work.
Meanwhile, Faith tries to cope with the events and decides to throw a Christmas party with her best friend Becky and all her friends. As the Christmas tree gets closer, Faith slowly gets drunk. The tree kills people randomly on its way to the house and eventually attacks it. In the end, only Faith survives. When the tree tries to attack her, her murdered parents appear in the form of a giant tree and burn the Christmas tree into a pile of ash with fiery eyes. Faith loses consciousness.
When she wakes up, she is surrounded by her friends. She seems to have dreamed the whole thing and decides to move out of her parents' house.
The effects are a mix of traditional special effects, with the Christmas tree clearly recognizable as a man in a Christmas tree costume in some scenes, and CGI effects.[1] [2]
The film was released in Germany on November 18, 2022, as a Blu-ray premiere. The actual film is rated 16 years by the FSK, but due to some trailers on the Blu-ray, the package has an FSK-18 sticker.
The film is primarily a trash film, showing its low budget. Many reviews highlight the poor acting and unattractive effects, which are part of the charm of a trash film.[3] [4] [5]