Murder Party (2007)
Starring: Chris Sharp, Macon Blair, Stacy Rock
Writer: Jeremy Saulnier
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Synopsis:
Halloween night in Brooklyn. Chris, a parking ticket cop, has just got off from work. Dude seems kinda like the weird type that keeps to himself. I like him already. He has pretty basic plans for Halloween; rent a couple of movies --one being a Vipco release-- and veg out on the couch with a bowl of candy corn --coulda chose better candy. Just sayin'. However, on his way home a gust of wind blows an invitation his way for a Halloween party. So, Chris concocts a Monty Python-esque knight costume out of a cardboard box, bakes up some pumpkin raisin bread and heads on his way to what seems like some good Halloween fun. Well, the invitees happen to be a group of pretentious, psychotic art students that plan on murdering their guest in the most creative fashion possible. The reason: to receive a pimp amount of grant money from the mastermind of the whole event, Alexander. Lucky for Chris, the whole crew are drunken and drugged and all around stupid as shit.
Rant:
Murder Party has been largely described as The Breakfast Club meets Rope type thing, and there's really no better way to put it. Just add some cocaine and booze in place of the brat pack getting high courtesy of John Bender, and there you have it. Jeremy Saulnier serves as writer, director, cinematographer, exec producer, and a bunch of other film making aspects here. Straight fuckin' beastin' it. The film is heavier on comedy than horror, with some well drawn characters that help the non horror moments nicely. If you're gonna have a movie that consists of a bunch of annoying as fuck art snobs, at least somehow make their parts witty. Impossible, right? Naw, Saulnier's characters almost seem like they were made as a pun on the type of people they emulate, and it fuckin' rules. That, and the actors in the roles are really enjoyable. And when Murder Party goes violent, it's out of control. It crosses the line of over-the-top, but I was more than okay with it.
Visually, the movie nails the Halloween atmosphere right from the start. Brooke and Will Blair's awesomely dreary music score puts the scenery on point; Trick or Treating, pumpkin smashing, eyeball cupcakes... the mood owns. Lots of cool camera work here, too. The low cam shots that follow the party invitation while it blows its way to Chris' feet are awesome. Gives the envelope a personality all its own. There's some sick editing of our lead while he crafts his makeshift knight costume, as well. I really dig the sequence after the subway, where Chris is running through the streets terrified, trying to find the location of the party. Shit is hilarious. The Breakfast Club element comes into play at the party, after the group all inject some truth serum and sit in a circle talking about their inner most secrets. So very reminiscent of John Hughes' classic, especially the 360 camera work. There's all kinds of awesome shots and tilts to feast your eyes on at the party location. Awesome job.
Not only are the characters entertaining, but it's a pretty damn well rounded job on the acting front, too. Macon the wolf man is played by Macon Blair. Dude seems the most Red Bull coke binged of the bunch. Mega hyper and screamy and off the fucking charts. Loved him, and almost sympathized with his stalker-like sensibilities towards another character. Sometimes, love bites. Skei Saulnier plays Sky the jeerleader. She's damn cute in her tethered cheerleading outfit, ****spoiler→but she's not around quite long enough to really dig on her performance←spoiler****. Paul Goldblatt (also worked on SFX) plays Paul, the age old vampire photographer. Dude has some rockin' chops on his face, and his acting chops are rad, too. Bill the Ghoulyville Slugger is played by William Lacey. I liked this character by default for his costume being a nod to The Warriors. But his laid back at first to fucking insane later on performance makes him even more awesome. Another character I liked by default is Lexi. Actress Stacy Rock is sportin' a Daryl Hannah Bladerunner getup and it's hot as shit. She nails the slutty role epically. Sandy Barnett plays Alexander, the art expert forerunner of the whole party. Hah, Alex fucking sucks, but I commend Barnett for being a believable dick. Bill Tangradi plays Zycho, Alexander's trigger happy drug dealer. Anoter pretty fun character. Has little depth, but Tangradi's facial reactions towards the other characters make him hilarious. Lastly, Chris Sharp (also a producer and exec producer) as our lead, Chris the victim. Dude doesn't have a whole lot a dialog, as he spends a large chunk of the film tied to a chair and gagged. This is what makes his performance that much more impeccable. He works wonders with his eyeballs, giving off all the correct movements for being terrified or confused as shit. All around, really dig the actors here and the characters that Saulnier thought up.
****spoilers****
As I previously mentioned, the gore in this flick is laid on thick in the latter areas of the film. Roll call: Busted open blood spraying head, a couple of blood leaking gunshot head wounds, a latex mask melted to face (a personal fave), chainsawed leg, ax to back of the head, electric chainsaw to front of head, ax carnage at an art exhibit, ripped off lips from an off screen dog bite, and more. Shit is pretty damn bloody!
****spoilers end****
I already touched on the score by Brooke and Will Blair being pretty awesome. The rock soundtrack is alright, too. Pretty punk rocky and it fits the Halloween party theme nicely.
Murder Party is a low budget Halloween delight. Some may be put off by a film largely consisting of a bunch of artsy fartsy snobs, but they are portrayed in hilarious ways. I dig it.
****spoilers in slides****
