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Editorial Reviews
A random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a gang of deranged artists intent on murdering him for the sake of their art, sparking a bloodbath of mishap, mayhem and hilarity.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is probably the funniest "horror" movie I've ever seen -- and it is THE perfect flick for your upcoming Halloween party (provided your friends are intelligent enough to appreciate the humor).
Without giving away too much of the plot, I'll try to tell you what I can about this monumental cinematic achievement. The box describes Murder Party as "Napoleon Dynamite meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which is somewhat accurate -- but I was expecting something much different (gratutious & meaningless violence), and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the writing, directing, acting, photography, special makeup FX, and limited use of digital effects were all top notch. Not bad for an indy film with minimal budget. It was very obvious that these good folks enjoyed working on this project very much -- unlike the joyless and soulless dreck being churned out by major studios nowadays.
In short, doofus loner is walking home from work to spend Halloween night alone in his apartment watching videos. The wind blows something along the sidewalk which he picks up: lo and behold, a hand engraved invite to a Murder Party -- with the ominous direction, "come alone." Doofus decides to make a "knight in armor" costume out of cardboard boxes and duct tape before proceeding to his rendezvous with destiny -- in the spookidy abandoned warehouse district.
Upon his arrival, he finds a demented cell group of drug abusing art school dropouts who thought it'd be funny to joke about killing someone in the name of Art. "We didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to actually show up!" Darwin's Law of Natural Selection in action. Anyhow, mayhem ensues, then an accidental death turns things "serious" -- and then things skid completely out of control: after which they exit the warehouse and hit the streets running.
Two of the art school dropouts' costumes were straight out of early cult cinema: replicant "Pris" from Blade Runner, and one of the baseball mimes from The Warriors. The baseball mime is a painter who is totally psychotic -- possibly in real life, as well. The scene where he goes nuts with an axe was actually a bit scary, because apparently HE WASN'T ACTING (the director said that all this terrifyingly vile stuff was coming out of his mouth that they needed to edit out of the soundtrack). Then, when he was being interviewed in the Special Features without his makeup, his face reminded me of a fellow I knew back in high school (also an actor) who was psychotic for real. He'd be just having a normal conversation when suddenly his eyes would glaze over and he'd go all zombie-nutso, not saying a word as he stared straight ahead with a blank expression as he tried to kill you . . . but I digress.
Anyhow, this film has the most realistic depictions of brain trauma that I've ever seen in a horror film (contrary to popular belief, it generally is not an instant kill, and victims can remain standing and semi-lucid after taking a mortal injury: one young lady asks if anyone smells "freshly mown grass" after a puncture of the temporal lobe, and another fellow gets really pissed off after being shot twice in the head with a low powered Makarov). The chainsaw special FX was very well done -- and you won't guess how they did it until you watch the Special Features. And -- most importantly -- Murder Party has THE ABSOLUTE BEST ENDING I'VE EVER SEEN IN ANY MOVIE OF ANY GENRE. Not a "surprise twist" at all -- just very understated, quite realistic, and probably the only way this movie could've ended. I sat there with my mouth open for a few moments, then, upon realizing the movie was over, laughed and laughed and realized it was pure genius.
"Murder Party" will be to Halloween what "A Christmas Story" was to Xmas -- a cult classic which you must purchase to watch every year at your Halloween Party.
Without giving away too much of the plot, I'll try to tell you what I can about this monumental cinematic achievement. The box describes Murder Party as "Napoleon Dynamite meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which is somewhat accurate -- but I was expecting something much different (gratutious & meaningless violence), and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the writing, directing, acting, photography, special makeup FX, and limited use of digital effects were all top notch. Not bad for an indy film with minimal budget. It was very obvious that these good folks enjoyed working on this project very much -- unlike the joyless and soulless dreck being churned out by major studios nowadays.
In short, doofus loner is walking home from work to spend Halloween night alone in his apartment watching videos. The wind blows something along the sidewalk which he picks up: lo and behold, a hand engraved invite to a Murder Party -- with the ominous direction, "come alone." Doofus decides to make a "knight in armor" costume out of cardboard boxes and duct tape before proceeding to his rendezvous with destiny -- in the spookidy abandoned warehouse district.
Upon his arrival, he finds a demented cell group of drug abusing art school dropouts who thought it'd be funny to joke about killing someone in the name of Art. "We didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to actually show up!" Darwin's Law of Natural Selection in action. Anyhow, mayhem ensues, then an accidental death turns things "serious" -- and then things skid completely out of control: after which they exit the warehouse and hit the streets running.
Two of the art school dropouts' costumes were straight out of early cult cinema: replicant "Pris" from Blade Runner, and one of the baseball mimes from The Warriors. The baseball mime is a painter who is totally psychotic -- possibly in real life, as well. The scene where he goes nuts with an axe was actually a bit scary, because apparently HE WASN'T ACTING (the director said that all this terrifyingly vile stuff was coming out of his mouth that they needed to edit out of the soundtrack). Then, when he was being interviewed in the Special Features without his makeup, his face reminded me of a fellow I knew back in high school (also an actor) who was psychotic for real. He'd be just having a normal conversation when suddenly his eyes would glaze over and he'd go all zombie-nutso, not saying a word as he stared straight ahead with a blank expression as he tried to kill you . . . but I digress.
Anyhow, this film has the most realistic depictions of brain trauma that I've ever seen in a horror film (contrary to popular belief, it generally is not an instant kill, and victims can remain standing and semi-lucid after taking a mortal injury: one young lady asks if anyone smells "freshly mown grass" after a puncture of the temporal lobe, and another fellow gets really pissed off after being shot twice in the head with a low powered Makarov). The chainsaw special FX was very well done -- and you won't guess how they did it until you watch the Special Features. And -- most importantly -- Murder Party has THE ABSOLUTE BEST ENDING I'VE EVER SEEN IN ANY MOVIE OF ANY GENRE. Not a "surprise twist" at all -- just very understated, quite realistic, and probably the only way this movie could've ended. I sat there with my mouth open for a few moments, then, upon realizing the movie was over, laughed and laughed and realized it was pure genius.
"Murder Party" will be to Halloween what "A Christmas Story" was to Xmas -- a cult classic which you must purchase to watch every year at your Halloween Party.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you find an invitation to a "Murder Party," would you be dumb enough to go?
October 16, 2007
Format:DVD
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.
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.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By JBizzle
Format:DVD
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!!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie
This movie is widely unknown, but shouldn't be. Buy it, you won't regret it, also share it with your friends. Clever, independent and well done.
Published 2 months ago by Megan M. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gory Gory Fun
This is a fantastically entertaining little indie flick. It is a staple for my Halloween festivities each year. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sarah Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious title, deserving of more attention
I discovered Murder Party on Netflix, and it's one of the chosen few that I've had to buy. A lonely schlub attends a Halloween party, unaware that he is to be murdered in the name... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Linspyder
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just another review...
Dull, boring, monotonous, slow and in general lacking any excitement. It left me feeling like I
LOST an hour and half of my life. A total waste of time. Read more
LOST an hour and half of my life. A total waste of time. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Zombie Enthusiast 1976
1.0 out of 5 stars
I am going to be Civil and Respectful
I honestly did not like this movie, like at all. And if you could look at my previous purchases I can tell you that I am a huge movie addict and am not a critique, those on this... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Brad
5.0 out of 5 stars
Small Budget + Amazing Talent = AWESOME Horror Comedy!
I had passed up this DVD a couple of times at Blockbuster but every time I went in to rent something, I had to pick it up and look at the preposterously costumed character on the... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lord Grim
5.0 out of 5 stars
hilariously good time
if you liked napoleon dynamite and you like horror films, this is a flick for you...dont rent it, buy it -because as soon as you watch it youll want to share the experience with... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Daniel L. Charles
3.0 out of 5 stars
Murder Party
The concept of the movie is better than the way it actually plays out but over all I liked it.
Published on December 24, 2010 by Hline
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie!
More of a dark comedy than a horror movie if you ask me. It was HYSTERICAL!!!! While it may not have been that typical scary, action-packed horror movie I was looking for, things... Read more
Published on October 29, 2010 by Mia
3.0 out of 5 stars
the gonzo Halloween gathering you may not soon forget...
From the "Lab Of Madness" comes Murder Party (2007) is a wacky, unpredictable, horror comedy that most will either love, or regard as too off the wall. Read more
Published on October 1, 2010 by trebe
