When an ancient demon is accidentally unleashed in a sparsely populated Mississippi town of Chickory Creek, their only hope of survival lies in the hands of a grizzled old demon hunter Jebediah Woodley and his reluctant partner FBI agent Evelyn Pierce.

Don’t Kill it opens with a man shooting a dog with a hunting rifle. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, all bets are off. Not convinced? Okay, well, after that, the possessed man kills his family. Still not convinced? After that the crazed gunman… eh forget it. I’m not going to spoil the surprise and audacity in the opening hook of Mike Mendez’s (Big Ass Spider) over-the-top gorefest which enjoyed a raucous screening tonight at the 16th annual Screamfest. Suffice it to say that Don’t Kill It has one of the best opening hooks in recent memory with a foamy bloodbath so crimson it would make the Queen of Hearts jealous.

The movie stars Dolph Lundgren as Jebediah Woodley. A sort of Indiana Jones meets Father Damian kinda guy who, since childhood, has been pursuing a malevolent demon that has a ravenous bloodlust. After a slew of slayings occurs in a sleepy Mississippi berg, FBI Agent Evelyn Pierce (Kristina Klebe) is called back to her home town to make sense of the carnage. Assisted by Jebediah and local Chief Dunham (Tony Bentley) the three pursue the supernatural murderer as it exacts maniacal mayhem on the sleepy town.

Up to this point the script but Dan Berk and Robert Olsen seems pretty base, if not a little predictable. But here is the gimmick. Marked only by blackened eyes, this demon uses the bodies of living beings as vessels in which to murder. If the intended victim defends themselves and kills the attacker, the demon transfers to the survivor. Think It Follows but with a murderous bent instead of doin’ it. This essentially creates a chain of violence that is never ending and only our hero, Jebediah, knows how to put an end to it.

Never taking itself too seriously, Don’t Kill It gleefully tears through victims with vicious abandon.  All bets are off the table and absolutely no one is safe or innocent. That is what makes the film so much fun to watch. Director Mike Mendez gleefully keeps the copious amounts of blood flowing, while tempering it with a wickedly dark sense of humor to play off of the mayhem. Some of the set pieces, including a second act town hall meeting, are simply brilliant.

Don’t Kill It exists for the very simple reason that sometimes you need to scream, laugh, and be disgusted all at the same time, and in no particular order. Easily one of my favorite horror films of the year, Don’t Kill It is a batshit crazy blood fest with a clever gimmick and loads gore.