Movies
First Look at the Villain in Kevin Smith’s ‘KillRoy Was Here’
Kevin Smith’s KillRoy Was Here, which began as a Krampus film before being re-written, is a creature anthology inspired by the “KilRoy Was Here” graffiti that was prominent during World War II, and Smith himself directed one of the segments. Filming began last Summer and continued early this year, and we’ve got another sneak peek for ya.
Over on Instagram, Smith shared our first look at the titular KillRoy.
“I’ve been in Florida this week shooting Killroy Was Here – a horror anthology along the lines of Creepshow or the Holidays movie I directed a segment for,” Smith captioned one of the photos. “We shot the first chapter in June of last year and this week we’ve been filming two more terrifying tales about our scary Sarasota suburban legend. I return in June to finish up the movie with my amazing crew, 70% of which is made up of the talented students from the Ringling College of Art and Design.”
Smith continued, “Sebastian Avery and the kids in the Production Design class built our padded cell, which acts as Killroy’s home prior to becoming the victim of a monstrous transformation in his origin story (both Killroys are played by imposing huggable bear of a man Justin Kucsulain.) Big thanks to David Shapiro and Semkor Productions for bringing me down here to the Sunshine State so I can put people in rubber masks and spill buckets of fake blood while pretending to be John Carpenter!”
Meet KillRoy below.
“Dude just got lost, and the next time they find him he’s just sitting there, eating babies,” Smith recently described the titular villain, a Vietnam soldier who becomes a monster, on the Edumacation podcast. Co-host Andy McElfresh chimed in, “And he becomes transformed. Before he loses all of his humanity, they try to rehabilitate him, and instead that drives him out into the wilderness, where he’s transformed into this monster.”
“He’s all melted in the face, that’s what creates the long nose effect,” Smith added.
The cast also includes Azita Ghanizada, Ryan O’Nan, Kathryn Parks, Brendan Ragen, Michael Perez and Cindy De La Cruz.
Zazie Beetz must fight her way through a New York City high-rise serving as a temple to Satan in They Will Kill You, and it’s officially set to make its global streaming debut next week.
They Will Kill You begins streaming exclusively on HBO Max on Friday, June 12. The film will debut on HBO linear on June 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Beetz leads the cast as Asia, who must survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering. Patricia Arquette, Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, and Heather Graham also star.
Kirill Sokolov (Why Don’t You Just Die!) directs from a script he co-wrote with Alex Litvak (Predators).
IT filmmaker Andy Muschietti produces alongside Barbara Muschietti and Dan Kagan. Executive producers include Sokolov, Litvak, Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, and Carl Hampe.
The raucous action horror comedy delivers on blood-splattery fun, but was overshadowed by high profile sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. It’s worth a watch for the talented cast, who commit to Sokolov’s zany action horror beats, include a rogue eyeball.
I wrote in my SXSW review, “Sokolov’s striking composition, dedication to carnage-fueled stunts and fight choreography, and an all-too-game cast anchored by a dedicated and fierce Zazie Beetz prevent this slight but energetic crowd-pleaser from careening off the rails.” And, “it’s so brazen and unabashed in its pursuit of cinematic thrills and splatstick chills that it succeeds in its aim, which is to deliver a riotously great time at the theater.”
More of a physical media fan? On June 30, 2026, They Will Kill You will be available to own on 4K UHD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD from online and physical retailers.
New Line Cinema/Nocturna’s “They Will Kill You,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
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