In MURDER PARTY, lonely schlub Chris accidentally finds an invitation to a “Murder Party” for Halloween. Excited about his potential newfound friendships, he fashions a suit of armor out of cardboard and bakes pumpkin bread to share. But when he arrives to the party, he realizes that he is not a guest, but a victim for their Murder Party. Zaniness ensues as each drugged up wannabe artist tries to kill him in their own creative way.
Chris knows immediately he is in trouble as he is tied to a chain and quietly listens as the bumbling killers plot his demise. The fun starts when the killers start dying, either by accident or by getting murdered by their friends. Betrayals and jealously abound especially when the cool Alexander shows up to talk about his grant money that he supposedly plans to give to the winning artist. Sex, drugs, homosexuality, and a chick dressed as Darryl Hannah’s character Pris from BLADE RUNNER are on full display.
The film moves swiftly towards the end with the final showdown between the killer you thought would least likely gather his balls and a weapon. The killer and Chris go on a wild chase through other parties with innocents getting slaughtered in the wake. The funniest part happens when clueless Chris stumbles into another bizarre art party and hides in a room with girls with painted bodies. He is scared, but momentarily awestruck by this scene. When the killer busts in, he takes out the entire room in a bloody mess with the camera panning to a sign that says, “Art?”
MURDER PARTY is highly entertaining and, dare I say it?…smart. In fact, it reminded me of an Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD) film, but minus the British accents. The film centers on an average guy that accomplishes great feats and features a high body count with an equal number of laughs.
Winner of the 2007 Audience Award for “Best Narrative Feature” at the Slamdance film festival and “Best Feature Film” at the Vail film festival, this is sure to get a decent DVD release.
Rating: 8/10
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