The Killer Within follows a group of kids who go camping for the weekend and find themselves being hunted by a creepy cultish serial killer in a pale white mask. There is a unique group of characters in this film and a truly terrifying killer. This movie is a love letter to 80s slasher movies and gives off vibes of being inspired by films like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
As far as amateur or student films go, this one lands pretty squarely in the middle. It's not great but I've certainly seen worse. There are definitely some positives. The blood and gore effects are solid for such a low budget, and there are some cool shots and set designs throughout. A few cast members stand out—especially the main final girl, who gives a strong performance. I also thought the killer had an interesting backstory, even if it could’ve been fleshed out a bit more.
While I liked some of the characters, others felt underdeveloped. The film leans a bit too heavily into raunchy humor, and the pacing drags at times. A good chunk of the opening, for example, could’ve been trimmed down.
That said, it’s impressive what the crew was able to pull off with such limited resources. There are still some technical issues—scenes that are out of focus and some rough lighting—but the effort is clearly there. It’s rough around the edges, but worth checking out for free on YouTube if you want to support up-and-coming filmmakers.