The Kill-Off is a 1989 American crime drama film written and directed by Maggie Greenwald, based on a 1957 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. It was an independent film, produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher and shot by Declan Quinn in his film debut. Plot In a small coastal community in New Jersey, the only action in town is a nightclub called The Pavilion. The owner, Pete, can barely make the payroll so in an effort to bring in more business, he hires a sultry stripper named Danny Lee. Danny Lee's act soon turns the head of Ralph, which is not good news for his bed-ridden wife Luanne. Luanne's nasty talent is her gift for gossip, and when she begins to suspect that Ralph has adultery on his mind, she starts spreading more ugly rumors that have just enough basis in fact to stick. Soon things spin out of control and a wave of violence begins. Cast Loretta Gross as Luan Andrew Lee Barrett as Bobbie Ashton Jackson Sims as Pete Pavlov Steve Monroe as Ralph Cathy Haase as Danny Lee William Russell as Rags Jorja Fox as Myra Pavlov Sean O'Sullivan as The Doctor Ellen Kelly as Lily Williams Ralph Graff as Henry Williams Production The Kill-Off was a part of the so-called Jim Thompson revival in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The other Jim Thompson novels to be adapted into films were The Grifters and After Dark, My Sweet. The Kill Off's US release would arrive in the same year as the aforementioned films. Director of photography Declan Quinn shot the film with low lighting; at times, footage of characters more than a few feet from the camera can be difficult to see. This was done to mirror the stylistic photography of the film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s. Filming took place over a twenty-one-day schedule in January 1989 on a budget of less than $1 million. Exterior shots were filmed in the New Jersey seaside town of Keansburg, where the Keansburg Amusement Park can be seen in the background. Interior scenes were filmed on sets in New York. Release The producers used the following tagline when marketing the film: The closer you look, the less you want to know. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Market on May 17, 1989. It went on to screen at the Women in Film Festival and