Killing time, in English, is a kind of “no exit” western or a gore movie which is a little pervert, we don’t really know. Four teenagers, two young women and two young men, settle in the middle of nowhere with their mobile home, surrounded by an arid steppe and a highway. Bored of camping in the centre, they decide to prepare their barbecue in a more isolated place. Panic strikes the group when one of the young men is murdered by a mysterious sniper hidden in the woods. Through his scope, the sniper has fun in lodging bullets in doors, in the cans of beer and finally in heads.

With its black and yellows tones, its omnipresent heat, Las Horas Muertas distils a muggy atmosphere. It is mostly a movie of atmosphere which does not belong to any particular genre. We are going from a thriller with a serial killer, to a horror movie when one of the girls’ head explodes and spreads blood everywhere in the interior. The survivors progressively get enclosed in their silence. The young man who is still alive makes an attempt to paw the young woman, like a very last embrace, but she refuses it. The mobile home becomes a kind of narrow jail, covered by various rubbish and distorted bodies. The interior decoration starts to be damaged because of the sniper’s multiple assaults. The end is as strange as the rest of the movie: the man resigns himself to be a prisoner and, in the absence of a sexual partner, he goes back to his initial activities!

Translated by Camille

The short movie can be seen here :

Interview with director Haritz Zubillaga

Can you tell us a little about your personnal/professionnal background ?
Ever since I can remember I´ve wanted to be film director. Since then I´ve graduated in Audiovisual Comunication at the University of the Basque Country, I´ve worked as film editor and I´ve directed several short films. “Las horas muertas” (”Killing Time”) is my most lauded work. The short film have been awarded about thirty national and international film festivals. Actually, It´s nominated for “Golden Mélliè” for Best Fantastic Short Film of the Year.

How was born las horas muertas project ?
When I first wrote the script I didn’t have any special film on my mind. At the beginning, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to tell a story with a sniper on it.
Then they came the images of the autobahn, the four lads on vacations…

The story seemed to be flirting with that kind of teenager horror movies and other slaughter movies such as “The Texas Chainshaw Massacre” or “The Hills Have Eyes”.
Even though I had the script I couldn’t make the decision to start shooting. Time passed by. Only after seing several Italian horror films (giallo) I finally understood the kind of movie it could be. From there it came the whistling, the erotic background and the rare final turn too. From there it came out my strongest desire to be determined to shoot this movie.

What was your goal with that movie ?
My goal was make an exciting film from first frame to last one.

Who’s the killer ?
CSI guys are working on it. I hope have answers as soon as possible.

I think your movie looks like a western. Do you agree ?
That´s a praise. Honestly, I´ve not any western on my mind when I´ve been shooting the film. But I think Sergio Leone is probably the greatest film director of the history. He always appears everywhere.

In the end, what is doing the guy ? Writing ? Why ?
Yes, he´s writing. He´s studied just like at the beginning of the shortfilm. Why?. I guess because there is no girl still alive to harass.

What are your projects ?
I´ve just finished my feature film script. Once again It´s an Horror movie. Once again there are four young friends on an autobahn. And once again the four guys suffer the violence of a merciless and heartless menace. But this time the menace is not a sniper. This time the menace comes from far beyond…