Grief and trauma seem to be potent themes across many recently-released horror movies, each of them tackling the concept in various ways. This makes The Killgrin

‘s setup slightly familiar, as it focuses on a woman named Miranda (Konstantina Mantelos) who suffers a tragic loss when someone she cares for dies by suicide. Joining a support group while seeking alternative ways to heal, a spiritual healer claims she is being haunted by a “Killgrin,” a being feeding off her grief. It lays the groundwork for an interesting story, potentially inspired by The Babadook or Hereditary.

Instead, The Killgrin meanders for most of the movie, presenting some interesting ideas that grow confused and muddled by a lack of real focus. While the film attempts to offer poignant and interesting commentary on loss, the 2025 horror movie veers off course one too many times. The story rests upon a strong foundation at the start, but it unfortunately starts crumbling the longer it goes on. This leads to a simplistic message that gets distracted by the constant barrage of moving parts, some of which are to the movie’s detriment.

The Killgrin Gets Lost Despite Having A Clear-Cut Message About Grief

It’s Also A Rather Dour Examination Of Loss

The Killgrin is mostly elevated by its performances, with Mantelos being a standout thanks to her convincing portrayal of someone in the throes of all-consuming grief. Adam Tsekhman’s Brian is another memorable face, an attendant of Miranda’s support group whose intentions aren’t clear from the start. Peter MacNeill’s Sam and Ted Lᴀsso star Cristo Fernández as Damien were other strong points of the film, even though their roles were minor in comparison. However, they did have some clever roles to play in the story that elevated the ideas of grief the movie is trying to present.

However, it’s the execution that fails to stick the landing. A major factor of this is Miranda’s progression throughout the movie, in particular how she views the Killgrin itself. The movie rather quickly telegraphs the meaning behind the monster, alongside its ᴀssociation with more traumatic events as the story plays out. However, for much of the movie, the story confusingly focuses more on Miranda’s grounded paranoia, believing Damien, her ex-boyfriend, is stalking her. This storyline meanders for a long time, causing the movie to lose focus at times despite the paranormal backdrop still going on.

When the movie’s message comes to the forefront, though, the dour messaging doesn’t have the tact to make it feel meaningful. This is partially because the Killgrin is treated like a bona fide slasher villain for the majority of the runtime. While it has some layers of meaning behind it, it doesn’t really resonate due to the movie’s preoccupation with other side stories. It renders the monster an interesting concept with a fitting name that doesn’t live up to its promises, falling behind many other horror movies about grief because of its unfocused presentation.

The Killgrin Needed A More Focused Story

Important Parts Feel Rushed To Make Room For Unnecessary Stories

The Killgrin‘s focus is diverted by long stretches that feel inconsistent with the core mood of the movie. While some of these detours make sense to the film’s overall messaging, tonal whiplash and shifting focal points make these segments feel noticeably out of place. They’re good ideas, some of which offer much-needed levity, but their presentation makes big chunks of the movie feel out of place and pointless, despite being so close to holding relevance in the overarching plot.

Even though the ideas it presents could have been perfect for a more tenable horror movie about grief and trauma, The Killgrin doesn’t manage to stick the landing. Its strong characters and performances can only do so much to elevate a lackluster, unfocused story that often feels stuck waiting for the third act to kick in. It makes the experience drag to the end, muddled by a presentation that needs a much deeper focus and a тιԍнтer grip on its story to truly work.