Low budget movies are generally not something generally I seek out, but when they are done well I usually enjoy them. I think embracing your lack of resources is a great way to keep a movie from feeling like it’s low budget, and Murder Party embraces this very well. 95% of the movie takes place in the same location (a warehouse where the titular party is to take place) and there’s minimal visual effects. After watching, I looked up to see the budget and found out that it was all out of pocket by the creators, which is pretty shocking considering the final product.
The film is very much driven by the dipshittedness (a word I just created…TM) of it’s characters. Even the “victim” is kind of a dummy. The chaos that surrounds this group of clowns is funny but still somehow sort of tense. You can never shake the feeling that someone is going to randomly do something real bad, even as your laughing along to their idiocies. It’s a very relatable yet hard to define situation that I’ve found myself in many times. Luckily the worst I ever got was lost in a park and not killed with an Axe.
This is one of those “for what it is, it’s great at it” films that stays low on both expectations and delivery. It’s fun and campy without being a schtick and it has some really good performances, but the real standout is Sampson Saulnier, who plays Hellhammer, the dog that eats a bunch of crank and goes berserker mode.
3 out of 5