Mike Mendez’s second film, The Convent (2000), suffered from bad distribution and never quite found a major audience like it should have. At least it received a pretty well-stocked DVD release, which cannot be said about his debut feature Killers, aka Real Killers (1996).
It was released on VHS from Alpine Home Entertainment but disappeared soon after, never making it to DVD. I could only see it by finding a bootleg at a convention. It was a real shame, but thanks to Synapse Films, Killers is getting a second chance to find the audience that’s eluded it for nearly three decades.
Brothers Odessa (Dave Larsen) and Kyle (David Gunn) appear to be your average, red-blooded American boys until they kill their parents in cold blood. Sent to prison, they defy all odds and escape back into society, and they’re ready to spill more blood.
Meanwhile, the Ryans are a middle-to-upper-class family consisting of father and husband Charles (Burke Morgan), his wife Rea (Damian Hoffer), and their daughters, seventeen-year-old Jami (Nanette Bianchi) and twelve-year-old Jenny (Renee Cohen). The unsuspecting family is about to have an unexpected evening when the villainous brothers show up on their doorstep, taking them hostage. Law enforcement is hot on their trail, hoping to find their location before more bloodshed.
The less I say about Killers, the better it will be for those who know little about it. While budget constraints are pretty apparent, the story and cast elevate it from being something disposable. It’s a violent tale with plot twists you likely won’t see coming.
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The cast was relatively unknown, but they all understood the project well enough to really put it all out there. Dave Larsen, who played Odessa, pulled double duty and co-wrote the script with director Mendez. David Gunn, who played Kyle, should have had a much bigger career in film. With this, The Convent, and his role in Full Moon’s Vampire Journals (1997), he showed a broad range and is fun to watch. Without leaving anyone out, the rest of the cast is equally as entertaining.
Let’s not forget that Killers features the second-best use of Iron Butterfly’s classic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” on screen (Manhunter 1986 holds the number one spot).
Synapse Films restored the unrated director’s cut, and it’s safe to say it won’t get much better than this. With the materials available, the restoration clears up most of the imperfections, giving audiences the most definitive version of the film. Regarding bonus features, there’s an audio commentary from Mendez and author/horror journalist Michael Gingold, original promotional trailers, an alternate ending, and a Liner notes booklet from critic/writer Heather Drain.
I’m happy to see Mendez and his early films finally getting the special edition treatment. His resume has continued to be impressive right up until his latest work on the anthology Satanic Hispanics (2022). If you’re looking to discover something new for the Halloween season, Killers would be a terrific pick.

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Synapse did the restoration, not Multicom.
Sorry for the mistake and it has been corrected. The work you guys put into your releases should not be overlooked.