Murder Party
2007 Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Synopsis
A random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a rogue collective intent on murdering him for the sake of their art, sparking a bloodbath of mishap, mayhem and hilarity
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What seemed like yet another torture porn movie quickly morphed into a pretty amusing satire on the New York art scene. The satire itself isn’t particularly sophisticated, merely highlighting the ridiculousness that surrounds modern art and the one-upmanship of the artists, but whilst the targets are easy it doesn’t stop the film from being entertaining.
Murder Party may have a victim/hero but he is merely a bit player to the artists who intend to kill him in order to win a lucrative arts grant. Although there is a reasonable amount of bloodletting the film is more interested in telling jokes at the artist’s expense as they become more preposterous and more like caricatures as the night progresses. It’s a very slight film, and probably won’t stand up well to repeat viewings, but for a low budget feature the script is sharp, the performances are solid and it rarely outstays its welcome.
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Too many modern horror films seem too interested in trying (and failing) to recreate the 70’s or 80’s look and feel. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, but there are plenty of modern groups of people that can be used in horror films. When people do attempt a contemporary film they just used the high school jock character or the slut etc etc. Murder Party is just about the only horror film I can think of that deals with the hipster culture.
The film is clearly low budget as the majority takes place in just one room, but it works really well. The dialog is plentiful but sharp and witty. The performances are all really good for a film… -
Well, what a wonderful surprise this was!
It is for the most part a clever ( sometimes a bit too clever ) satire, attacking the art scene. That gives some witty dialogue and some fresh humour.
It is also an over the top, gory slasher that manages to look very convincing despite is obviously tiny budget.
How these two elements mix is up for you to find out. I will say that it is a bit unbalanced and probably aims a bit too high but it is still a thoroughly entertaining watch that never outstays its welcome.
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"When our masterpiece is complete, and the coroner’s report is back in, it will read the cause of death; Art."
-Alexander (Alex Barnett)This film definitely needs more love!
I think many, myself included, overlooked it as poorly made garbage, the kind you’re likely to find in the bargain basement of trashy schlock. Instead, Murder Party offers a surprisingly enjoyable and witty satire.It’s actually rather funny all the way through, and beyond the basic humour also works as a satire on the New York art scene. In a smart and unpretentious way, it makes sly remarks about pretentiousness. The black, situational comedy works very well. It was sometimes a little wacky and over-the-top, but I reckon this improved the…
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"Great. Vinegar. We can pickle him to death."
I watched this movie on the recommendation of a half-drunk man who was at my second viewing of the newest Evil Dead movie. Our conversation started with talk of Rob Zombie's Halloween remake and then turned to talk about movies that take place on Halloween in general. This was his suggestion and if you're reading this, I thank you for that. I don't remember your name or hardly what you looked like. Only that your breath reeked of cheap whiskey and you seemed like the only person in the theater who was genuinely excited about the horror genre.
Anyway, so I checked this out and I was really pleasantly surprised. It isn't…
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Film 24 of The December Project.
Running time: 79 minutes.
I apologise for no reviews in a while, I have been busy with Uni work this week, and been watching films while I do the work. Here's one I picked to watch on Netflix.
I wasn't expecting too much with this but I was pleasantly surprised. This was a fun, clever, funny Horror. It picks fun at the Art Scene of New York and it works well and does it in a very funny way. Every character is interesting, you want to know about them, what their story is, why they are doing what they are doing. There's some really nice little practical effects, and for a low budget film…
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"Great. Vinegar. We can pickle him to death."
I watched this movie on the recommendation of a half-drunk man who was at my second viewing of the newest Evil Dead movie. Our conversation started with talk of Rob Zombie's Halloween remake and then turned to talk about movies that take place on Halloween in general. This was his suggestion and if you're reading this, I thank you for that. I don't remember your name or hardly what you looked like. Only that your breath reeked of cheap whiskey and you seemed like the only person in the theater who was genuinely excited about the horror genre.
Anyway, so I checked this out and I was really pleasantly surprised. It isn't…
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Too many modern horror films seem too interested in trying (and failing) to recreate the 70’s or 80’s look and feel. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, but there are plenty of modern groups of people that can be used in horror films. When people do attempt a contemporary film they just used the high school jock character or the slut etc etc. Murder Party is just about the only horror film I can think of that deals with the hipster culture.
The film is clearly low budget as the majority takes place in just one room, but it works really well. The dialog is plentiful but sharp and witty. The performances are all really good for a film… -
hahah this was just strange didnot expect anything like that :D
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Film 24 of The December Project.
Running time: 79 minutes.
I apologise for no reviews in a while, I have been busy with Uni work this week, and been watching films while I do the work. Here's one I picked to watch on Netflix.
I wasn't expecting too much with this but I was pleasantly surprised. This was a fun, clever, funny Horror. It picks fun at the Art Scene of New York and it works well and does it in a very funny way. Every character is interesting, you want to know about them, what their story is, why they are doing what they are doing. There's some really nice little practical effects, and for a low budget film…
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Why did it take almost 5 years for this movie to come out and hit my radar? This was a fun, low budget, independent film that actually had a fairly original idea and pulled it off well.
Our protagonist had only planned to sit at home on Halloween night with his cat and watch rented horror movies. But on the way back home, he finds an omnious invitation to a Murder Party on the ground. Well, living up to the name of the party, a "collective" of hipster wannabe artists plan to kill whoever shows up and turn the murder into to some form of post-modern "art". Cue the incompetence and egos, and watch the plans go awry in the worst possible ways.
I really enjoyed this. You'll laugh at and despise the villains as you cheer on and laugh at the hero. Now let's all go make cardboard battle armor!
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After stumbling across an invitation to a Murder Party on Halloween Christopher S. Hawley finds himself strapped to a chair and the about-to-be-victim of the theme of the party: murder! But as things start spiralling out of control with the hosts there will indeed be more blood spilled, but will Chris survive the night?
Hilariously over-the-top black comedy with bouts of extreme violence and gore gags, Murder Party is a Halloween-themed ride from start to finish. Witty and with an any-thing-goes attitude it's a film that's fresh and entertaining, an indie horror film with it's heart in the right places.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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"When our masterpiece is complete, and the coroner’s report is back in, it will read the cause of death; Art."
-Alexander (Alex Barnett)This film definitely needs more love!
I think many, myself included, overlooked it as poorly made garbage, the kind you’re likely to find in the bargain basement of trashy schlock. Instead, Murder Party offers a surprisingly enjoyable and witty satire.It’s actually rather funny all the way through, and beyond the basic humour also works as a satire on the New York art scene. In a smart and unpretentious way, it makes sly remarks about pretentiousness. The black, situational comedy works very well. It was sometimes a little wacky and over-the-top, but I reckon this improved the…
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Quite a slow burner, but I enjoyed it a fair bit. Some great ideas here, and I especially like how the whole film is essentially a precision strike against pretentious art students. It drags in places though and the climax was a little underwhelming, but as a whole I enjoyed it.