When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.
- Awards
- 9 wins & 21 nominations
Gralen Bryant Banks
- Pizza Patron
- (as Graylen Banks)
Scott A. Martin
- Pizza Manager
- (as Scott Martin)
Julia Adams
- Adele
- (uncredited)
Geraldine Glenn
- Pizza Patron
- (uncredited)
Sean O'Hara
- Rex
- (uncredited)
Blain Sanchez
- Prisoner
- (uncredited)
Tony Severio
- Pizza Patron
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGina Gershon had been originally offered the role of Sharla almost 20 years previously when the script was for a play, but she turned it down because she could not imagine performing the infamous chicken-leg scene "eight times a week" on stage.
- GoofsAfter Joe lights the fire to burn up the car we see in the next shot a set of pipes added to the undercarriage of the car to aid and/or assist with the stunt car fire and/or extinguishing of the fire.
- Quotes
Killer Joe Cooper: Tuna casserole! May I serve?
Dottie Smith: How are you gonna kill my mama?
Killer Joe Cooper: That's not appropriate dinner conversation, Dottie.
Dottie Smith: Unless you poison her.
- Crazy creditsThe unrated DVD retains the MPAA's NC-17 graphic at the end, although the rating was surrendered.
- Alternate versionsThe USA/Canada DVD is available in two versions, one the original NC-17 rated version (labeled as Unrated) and the other an R-Rated version. The R-Rated version has the following cuts:
- 1:25:27 (10.5 sec. cut) Sharla starts sucking at the chicken leg. Joe moans "Easy...easy."
- 1:25:42 (5.5 sec. cut) A cut to Carla, who is still sucking the chicken leg, is missing. The R-Rated shows the shot of Joe without interruption, lengthening it insignificantly.
- 1:25:49 (2.5 sec. cut) Joe asks Ansel in this shot "What do you think?". The R-Rated Version features the question from the off in the following shot of Ansel.
- 1:26:03 (Alternate Shot) The R-Rated shows Joe talking in a longer shot of himself and then an alternative shot of Ansel sitting down on the bench. The original features two shots from further away showing Sharla during her forced blow job. The Unrated Version runs a bit longer.
- 1:26:34 (11 sec. cut) The shot of Ansel can be seen a moment longer. Joe then asks twice: "Reach around and grab my ass!". Sharla obeys.
- 1:26:56 (Alternate Shot (No time difference)) The R-Rated Version mainly shows the shot of Joe longer and the alternative shot of Ansel before the shot from further away can be seen for a short time. The latter can be seen the whole time in the Unrated Version.
- 1:27:20 (Alternate Shot) The R-Rated Version shows the previous and following shots of Joe longer/earlier, whereas the Unrated cuts to a close-up of Sharla complying with Joe's demands and starting to moan.
- 1:37:30 (1 sec. cut) The shot starts a bit earlier with an additional (first) blow of the can against Chris' head.
- 1:37:33 (1.5 sec.) Another blow is missing.
- 1:37:41 (4.5 sec.) Joe beats Chris with the can three more times against the head and in the face, Chris spits out blood. Additional shot of Dottie screaming "Oh God!".
- 1:42:47 (No time difference) The MPAA overlays at the end differ display the different rating for the two versions.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Big Review: Summer Trailer Park Series (2012)
Featured review
sensationally good start
I don't know why I didn't enjoy this more than I did. It seems to have all the right ingredients for a down and dirty post noir with fine performances all round and Friedkin's steady directorial hand. Actually for the most part I was engaged, even if the central premise regarding the life insurance is a little corny and the family just a little too cliché trailer trash. It is tough and it is amusing but as things proceed and begin to get a little silly it is the central performance of Matthew McConaughey, cooling pulling on and off his black leather gloves and giving his stare, that holds this together and hold you in its grip. Towards the end, things change and I can only assume this is the 'fault' of the original stage play, where the high drama might have worked better, within the film it jars and spoils the torrid but believable situation that has developed. There is little development of the characters, which is fine, but when we are asked to suddenly see things so differently, as here at the end, that lack of feeling for the characters matters a lot. So the inconclusive end is a bit of a mess, not to mention the chicken scene and in my view tends to spoil what had been a sensationally good start.
helpful•50
- christopher-underwood
- Apr 6, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Killer Joe: A Twisted Redneck Trailer Park Murder Story
- Filming locations
- Six Flags New Orleans - Six Flags Pkwy, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA(Abandoned Theme Park)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $11,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,987,762
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $37,900
- Jul 29, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $4,633,668
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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