For horror purists, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned slasher movie. A little blood, a lot of victims, and a mad killer makes the perfect slasher stew. Director Jeff Knite (who co-wrote the screenplay with Paugh Shadow and Johnny Careccia) has crafted just that with The Omicron Killer, an uber-low budget production that rightfully doesn’t get too serious and gives genre fans the vulgar, gore-tinged, slasher flick that can be a popcorn-chomping good time. 

It is obvious that director-star Knite put his heart into this. As he stated, “Shooting this film was very difficult. We shot a Hollywood size film with an independent budget. It was excruciating and exhausting. But we did it, and the outcome far outweighs the blood, sweat and pain that I had to endure to get this film made.”  The director goes on to thank the hard work of his cast and crew, all of which is evident in the finished product.

The cast features genre legends Lynn Lowry, Felicia Rose. and Bai Ling in important supporting roles. Each actress goes all in, especially Rose who gives a purposely over-the-top and quite humorous turn as the bitchy leader of satanic cult. The actress is quite funny and steals every scene.

The Omicron Killer is a direct sequel to 2021’s The Covid Killer, a film about a killer stalking New York during the 2020 pandemic. That film’s killer is back with a new blood-soaked reign of terror. 

After getting beaten down, the titular madman (Paugh Shadow) ends up in a hospital full of the most bizarre group of doctors and nurses since Lindsay Anderson’s Britannia Hospital from 1982. Nurse Nancy (Bai Ling) and Doctor Frueger (Richard Bernstein) are the ones who watch after the killer, with Ling’s character being strangely attached to him. Nurse Nancy doesn’t help, as the killer breaks out and returns to his slaughter using his weapon of choice, a crowbar.  

All the while, two detectives (Jeff Knite and Johnny Careccia) and their superior, (Lynn Lowry), are on the streets trying to track him down. Meanwhile, Felissa Rose and her cult are in a cemetery calling for the resurrection of the original Covid Killer. 

While I believe the reputations of genre masters such as John Carpenter, George A. Romero, and Dario Argento are safe, Knite doesn’t set out to reinvent the game. He uses his budget restrictions wisely, achieving a good visual tone, courtesy of cinematographer Brad Reeb and keeps his script lite and peppered with silly humor.

The whole experience won’t go down as a horror classic, but director Knite keeps a good pace, gets in some creative kills, and infuses the film with some fun homages. The opening scene is a clever tip-of-the-hat to the 1981 Sylvester Stallone action classic, Nighthawks.

The Omicron Killer makes it due to its use of practical effects, a fun screenplay, and the sheer drive of its creators. 

The Omicron Killer

Written by Paugh Shadow, Johnny Careccia, & Jeff Knite

Directed by Jeff Knite

Starring Paugh Shadow, Felicia Rose, Lynn Lowry, Bai Ling, Jeff Knite

NR, 98 Minutes, Dark Knites Entertainment, Shadow Films