I guess there's always been the basic idea that the artistically inclined among us tend to be a little more unbalanced - that artists in whatever medium draw their inspiration from chaos in their own lives, be it internal (depression/mental illness) or external (troubled family life/upbringing). There's also the idea that art is always evolving, that people are always looking for new and unique ways to express their artistic side. Murder Party takes both of these ideas to their extremes, where a group of talented artists decide they want to host a party where they kill someone and somehow turn the act of murder into art.
Mild mannered (and seemingly lonely) Chris is ready to spend Halloween evening alone, when he stumbles across a mysterious invitation on the sidewalk, saying "You're invited to a Murder Party - come alone." He googles the address and ends up in a desolate, garage-y type area of New York City (I didn't know quiet areas of NYC existed), where he is welcomed by a half-dozen costumed hipsters hanging out in a warehouse. They welcome him with open arms... until they try to hit him with an ax. When that (comically) goes awry, they tie him up to a chair and reveal their plan... Chris is the guest of honor at the murder party! They are going to find a way to artistically murder him and impress Alex, the ultra pretentious party-goer who also happens to have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money. Shenanigans ensue.
While there is no doubt Murder Party is a horror film, its tone leans heavily towards comedy. These artists that essentially kidnap Chris are just kind of bumbling idiots, and their antics are mostly played for laughs. And here's where I had my biggest issue with the film - the tone was just a little light for the subject matter. It was just a little too unbelievable to me that these characters would get involved with something as serious as this, without even really having any reservations about it. These guys just sort of treat the crime of murder like they are defacing property or something like that. Even the would be tense scenes in Murder Party are more or less played for laughs... maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist, but tying someone up and killing them is a serious thing. Because of the more humorous tone, there just didn't feel like there was much of anything at stake - which is a problem for a horror film. I would be more okay with it if the tone was a little darker (maybe some real tension and some gallows humor), but the way it's presented was sort of a tough pill for me to swallow for the first part of the film.
But once you get over that, it's a pretty enjoyable ride. The artists are really pretentious blowhards, and certainly get annoying at times (although I'm sure it's by design). But there are some intriguing interpersonal dynamics and even a little drama amongst the group. There is a scene where they all shoot sodium pentathol (or some other truth serum) that is actually really cool - you really get into the heads of these characters, and I'm sure, writer-director Jeremy Saulnier's true feelings on the world of modern art.
And it is a really well-made movie too. Saulnier (who followed this up 6 years later with the nearly universally acclaimed Blue Ruin) has put together a really nice looking film. The camera moves about very fluidly and gets some nice shots, and he manages to make the warehouse a lively, exciting setting (even though two-thirds of the movie takes place there). It's well-paced and moves along nicely.
While the there isn't an awful lot of tension to the proceedings, the gore is quality. It's a little on the low-budget side of things, but it is plentiful. There is some solid comedy in there too. Not all of the jokes land (and again, a lot of times the characters are almost too annoying to make the comedy work), but there are a couple of bits that work really well.
And, for 3 days in a row, a dog!
Name: Hellhammer
Breed: I was guessing some sort of Shiba Inu/Finnish Spitz?
Function: To make you like (and then dislike) his owner. He's got a cool name and is pretty cute too. He seems like a nice dog. He's never in any real danger, although there is always a looming "there's a dog here - are they going to mess with it?" Although honestly, Hellhammer's real name is Sampson Saulnier - so I'm guessing the director Jeremy Saulnier wanted him in there. And honestly, he's a good addition to Murder Party, even if he isn't around a lot. And who doesn't love a dog in a costume?
Fate: Hellhammer eats a bag of crank and bites a guy's face off (offscreen), but it's kind of funny. Yep, it's that kind of movie. After that, I assume he's okay.
So I don't know. I more or less liked the movie once I was able to get on board with the more comedic side of it, but it got into some muddy waters philosophically. While Murder Party is mostly taking aim at the super-pretentious art set, it doesn't provide any sort of counter argument - i.e. is there anything "good" or "important" about art? (The artist that ends up being the least pretentious and probably the most talented ends up being the craziest of them all.) It's a pretty one-sided take, and I personally feel like it's the kind of topic that once it's brought up ought to be explored a little more in depth. But I don't think Saulnier really cares about that. It's not a well-balanced film about the role of art in our lives, its a comedy about pretentious jerks in costumes who want to kill people. So in that respect, it works well.
And it's one of those movies that I've warmed up to a bit, having re-watched parts and thought about a little more. I think it was a little jarring tonally on the first go-round, but knowing that going in would probably make for a very enjoyable repeat viewing.
I would recommend this film.
And it is a really well-made movie too. Saulnier (who followed this up 6 years later with the nearly universally acclaimed Blue Ruin) has put together a really nice looking film. The camera moves about very fluidly and gets some nice shots, and he manages to make the warehouse a lively, exciting setting (even though two-thirds of the movie takes place there). It's well-paced and moves along nicely.
While the there isn't an awful lot of tension to the proceedings, the gore is quality. It's a little on the low-budget side of things, but it is plentiful. There is some solid comedy in there too. Not all of the jokes land (and again, a lot of times the characters are almost too annoying to make the comedy work), but there are a couple of bits that work really well.
And, for 3 days in a row, a dog!
Name: Hellhammer
Breed: I was guessing some sort of Shiba Inu/Finnish Spitz?
Function: To make you like (and then dislike) his owner. He's got a cool name and is pretty cute too. He seems like a nice dog. He's never in any real danger, although there is always a looming "there's a dog here - are they going to mess with it?" Although honestly, Hellhammer's real name is Sampson Saulnier - so I'm guessing the director Jeremy Saulnier wanted him in there. And honestly, he's a good addition to Murder Party, even if he isn't around a lot. And who doesn't love a dog in a costume?
Fate: Hellhammer eats a bag of crank and bites a guy's face off (offscreen), but it's kind of funny. Yep, it's that kind of movie. After that, I assume he's okay.
So I don't know. I more or less liked the movie once I was able to get on board with the more comedic side of it, but it got into some muddy waters philosophically. While Murder Party is mostly taking aim at the super-pretentious art set, it doesn't provide any sort of counter argument - i.e. is there anything "good" or "important" about art? (The artist that ends up being the least pretentious and probably the most talented ends up being the craziest of them all.) It's a pretty one-sided take, and I personally feel like it's the kind of topic that once it's brought up ought to be explored a little more in depth. But I don't think Saulnier really cares about that. It's not a well-balanced film about the role of art in our lives, its a comedy about pretentious jerks in costumes who want to kill people. So in that respect, it works well.
And it's one of those movies that I've warmed up to a bit, having re-watched parts and thought about a little more. I think it was a little jarring tonally on the first go-round, but knowing that going in would probably make for a very enjoyable repeat viewing.
I would recommend this film.
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