Murder Party (2007)

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.

Review

Murder Party is one of those films you stumble upon one night, decide to glance at based solely on the cover, and never regret it for the rest of your life. Like The Wizard of Speed and Time, but with more murder. And partying.

With almost literally no plot, loner Christopher finds an invitation to a Halloween party in the street, and after deciding to attend, finds that all of the other guests want to kill him. Some are happier about it than others, and what followers is an utterly bonkers, possibly genius, low budget indie film that brightens all days.

Writer and directer Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room) creates a no holds barred horror / comedy, and with masterful precision uses his budget to aid him. The antagonist "killers" of the flick are fundamentally flawed people with a fundamentally flawed plan, meaning the lack of budget serves to make the film feel real.

But this is a horror / comedy. The horror largely comes from the situation and the tension and torment coming from it. The comedy comes from the writing, and without doubt the casting.

Protagonist Christopher is played with such gusto and creativity by Chris Sharp (feature debut) that he not only steals the show, but he becomes your best friend. The antagonists play their part - particularly with standouts from Macon Blair (Green Room) and Sandy Barnett (Blue Ruin). As the film starts with a creep, it frenetically crashes towards the crescendo.

It's a fantastic movie. Absolutely strange, surreal, but obviously a passion project for all involved, and an engaging - and fun - watch for the audience.

Absolutely unmissable.