Search - Murder Party on DVD

Jefferson N. from BLAIRSVILLE, GA
Reviewed on 12/13/2011...

Poor Chris...It's Halloween and all this lonely nebbish wants to do is go home and watch some horror movies in peace. But when his cat won't let him sit down in his comfy chair, he decides to go to a party he found an invite for on the street. Unfortunately for Chris, this is a real "Murder" party staged by some Scene Kids...and Chris is the guest of honor...and he's going to be putting the "murder" in the party. Christ is kidnapped, tied up, and forced to await the coming of Alexander...the Scene Kid's poseur mentor who intends to hand over a small fortune for whoever can come up with the most artistic murder. But when Alexander's drug-dealing Russian buddy gives everybody truth serum, the fun begins...This is a crazy film that's definitely a horror/comedy hybrid. It's got a pretty amazing amount of gore for a low-budget film, but also has a pretty surprisingly interesting story. It's head and shoulders above most of the zombie trash that was coming out at the same time. It's kind of like Breakfast Club Meets Saw. If you're a fan of good, low-budget films with an edge, you'll probably like this.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Must See Comedy/Horror Hybrid!!!

JBizzle | Under A Rock | 09/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Magnolia Films is definately one to watch for great horror films. 1st "Severance" (check out that film too if you haven't already) & now this, they're on a winning streak for great horror. "Murder Party" is really more of a comedy than anything, but definately has it's fare share of grizzly blood & gore for even the most hardened of gore hounds. Murder Party is about a lonely nerd type who happens upon an invitation around Halloween. He gets all dressed up in a ridiculous cardboard costume & is off for the "Murder Party" with Pumpkin Raisen bread in tow. It turns out some weirdo artsy fartsy types have set up to murder whoever arrives with this invite. That's all you really need to know as not to spoil anything. It kinda reminded me of "Bottle Rocket" (another movie you should check out if you haven't already seen it) only with murder & more blood & guts. The acting, directing & make-up/special effects are all spot on. You'll love every minute of this film!!! Do Not Miss This Movie, it's destined to be a cult classic!!!"

If you find an invitation to a "Murder Party," would you be

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 10/16/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There is an offbeat vibe to "Murder Party" and I had the sense that I was not quite in on the joke while watching this 2007 horror comedy. Then I checked out the special features afterwards and watched "Extreme Truth: The Making of 'Murder Party,'" and discovered that most of the principle characters in this movie have known each other when they were kids, when they spent their free time making movies with a VHS camera. You know how M. Night Shyamalan usually throws one of the films he made as a kid on his DVDs? Well, all we get here are clips of their adolescent attempts at blood and gore recorded for posterity on videotape, you do get a real sense of the fun they had killing each other and employing rudimentary special effects. Many years later, after having gone their separate ways to various film schools, they have reunited as The Lab of Madness and produced "Murder Party." So if the people you see on screen seem less like professional actors and more like kids running amuck in a candy store, there is a reason you are picking up on that vibe.

The film takes place on Halloween night in Brooklyn, where a windswept invitation to a party ends up in the hands of hapless Christopher S. Hawley (Chris Sharp). Creating a carboard costume as "The Brown Night," Chris leaves his cat Sir Lancelot and a bowl of candy corn behind and goes off to the party alone, as instructed. Once he arrives at the Murder Party he discovers it is called that because the group of misfit waiting for him intend to kill him in the name of their art. Well, actually their goal is to get money from their rich patron, who they think will be impressed by a ritualistic killing as an example of cutting-edge performance art. Suffice it to say that things do not go as planned.

"Murder Party" is decidedly a tongue in cheek horror comedy and as such is most definitely a hit or miss proposition. Some will embrace the film as a prime candidate for Midnight Movie status and others will be sorry they ever checked it out. But the film proudly proclaims itself to be the winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival, which sounds pretty impressive and like something fans of the genre should check out. Then again, the other Audience Award went to "Commode Creations: The Artwork of Barney Smith" for Best Anarchy Film, so who knows what the mind set, let alone the mental stability, of this particular audience might have been when they voted. The gags with the gore are better than the attempts at humor, but I liked the tongue in cheek approach and the idea that if the hole you are digging for yourself keeps getting bigger, why not embrace it and go along for the ride?

"Dead and Breakfast" remains my personal favorite when it comes to nominating a horror comedy to be the next Midnight Movie, but "Murder Party" is a decent honorable mention. The DVD extras include commentary "featuring The Lab of Madness," which is more retrospective than introspective, but mainly because you get the feeling the gang cannot really wrap their minds around the fact they actually got to make a real movie. There are a few outtakes and bloopers (you would have expected more and you get the feeling these guys found these clips funnier than we do), instructions on "How to Make Your Own Brown Knight Costume," and "Pumpkin Bread Recipe" and "Valediction in Black: Lexi's Art Installation Video" (i.e., the film within the film). "Murder Party" may not be your cup of team, but it should not prove to be a jug of Acetic Acid either."

An indie that doesnt suck!

B. Epstein | Dallas, TX. | 10/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A real treat for indie film and comedy horror fans! Director Jeremy Saulnier and his close knit collective of actors, writers, and make up efx crew put together a well shot, funny, gory piece of cult movie fun that you'll want to show all your friends!"