I first saw this in 2007 on a dvd which I own. Revisited it recently.
Considering the budget n the team's inexperience, flaws can be overlooked n the last 30 mins will compensate the initial 50 mins boredom.
It is about a loner n depressed guy living alone with his cat named Sir Lancelot. The guy wants to watch a horror film on a Halloween night but his cat doesn't get up from his chair n so our guy goes out to a private party uninvited after finding the invitation card on the road, unknown to him that the hosts has plans to murder the guy for some art collection.
Nothing happens for 50 mins but the last 30 mins is full of bloodbath and hilarity.
112 Reviews
Not bad for a very low budget
jtindahouse26 February 2019
I stumbled across 'Murder Party' last night on Netflix and thought it looked worth a watch. It was apparent pretty early on that this was filmed with a very low budget (the trivia section claims it was made with "no money"). The actors were unrecognisable, the sets were reasonably basic and there were not going to be any special effects at any point in the film clearly. None of that means it can't be a good film however. Hell, look at Kevin Smith's 'Clerks' for proof.
The director of 'Murder Party' has gone on to make some very well received horror/thriller films, so it very cool to see where he, Jeremy Saulnier, got his start. There are some elements to the film that would indicate there was class behind the camera. A lot of the dialogue is quite intriguing and surprisingly well written (a must for a low-budget film). Also considering the budget the horror scenes that feature later in the film were very well created. The film is short at only 80 minutes and even then feels like it could have shaved 15-20 minutes off. The pacing in the first half of the film is a slight issue. Also I wouldn't have minded seeing a more creative ending. All in all though this is a watchable enough film if you stumble across it on Netflix late one night.
The director of 'Murder Party' has gone on to make some very well received horror/thriller films, so it very cool to see where he, Jeremy Saulnier, got his start. There are some elements to the film that would indicate there was class behind the camera. A lot of the dialogue is quite intriguing and surprisingly well written (a must for a low-budget film). Also considering the budget the horror scenes that feature later in the film were very well created. The film is short at only 80 minutes and even then feels like it could have shaved 15-20 minutes off. The pacing in the first half of the film is a slight issue. Also I wouldn't have minded seeing a more creative ending. All in all though this is a watchable enough film if you stumble across it on Netflix late one night.
A strange little movie
cbnewham1 February 2019
A man picks up a piece of paper blowing around on the street which turns out to be an invitation to a "murder party". Being rather lonely he takes up the invitation and soon finds he will be the subject of the murder.
From here things get strange and sometimes quite humorous.
It's certainly worth a look and you won't feel you've wasted your time.
From here things get strange and sometimes quite humorous.
It's certainly worth a look and you won't feel you've wasted your time.
Murder Party
Scarecrow-8831 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Insane goremedy about an unfortunate average-joe who discovers an invite at his feet on the sidewalk to a "murder party" on Halloween. Expecting a Halloween-themed costume party, Chris(Chris Sharp)finds this an then some with a gathering of eccentric artistes who plan to use him as their focal inspiration for an extreme art piece. The group will murder him in some grotesque way yet undetermined as Chris is tackled by them and tied to a chair, bound and gagged, he awaits in horror as they discuss and delay his artistic demise..he's to be a sacrificial lamb as the artists compete for a grant promised to the one who impresses their mentor, Alexander(Alex Barnett)the most. But, as the night approaches the witching hour(..the time appointed for Chris' death by Alexander), unforeseen circumstances arise and Chris watches as those among him fall prey to their own frailties, egos & insecurities, with the scene actually turning into a legitimate murder party. Alexander brings to the party a drug-dealing foreigner with a gun named Zycho(Bill Tangradi)who has a barbiturate which works as a truth serum and doping agent..this will bring out the buried secrets which will compel murderous acts along with a very unstable painter modeling his costume after the baseball furies from "The Warriors" who needed such a place to unleash his hidden desires for bloodshed.
While the graphic violence rears it's ugly head at the end, most of this film is a satire on artists and their pursuit for achieving success. Chris is a blue-collar product of the working class who makes the fateful decision(..probably taking that step at doing something unpredictable which throws a potential cog in the wheel of his daily routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, and watching television)of entering a world very different from his own. But, as the film culminates towards the violence, it's an explosion with poor Chris experiencing the madness first-hand. I think many will find this unique, refreshing and different than the usual horror coming out these days, while others will be repelled, disturbed and sickened by the dark humorous situations that occur as the film continues. As far as the gore is concerned, director Jeremy Saulnier cheats a bit, not always having his camera hone in on the violent acts(..probably due to budgetary constraints, and perhaps not wanting to have his film too gratuitous). But, there are some rather unsettling moments of violence that achieve quite a visceral feel such as when one sets his werewolf mask on fire(..trying to light a cigarette) with parts of the rubber melting into his face as he attempts to peel it away and the use of a chainsaw to the face. Bullets shot into the heads of certain victims as blood drools and wicked swings of a baseball bat also play into the violent climax. There's even an ax attack on artists during an exhibit performance.
I'm pretty sure many will be wondering whether or not(..as they are watching the film)this will ever have murders during the party because the director builds up to it by exposing the artists and their MANY faults as they seem to delay the inevitable. I found this amusing because when the violence ensues it rarely stops, until Chris attempts to flee the maniac left standing. The film is, in my opinion, quite tongue-and-cheek and shouldn't be taken too seriously. If looked at improperly, this film might be quite unpleasant viewing.
While the graphic violence rears it's ugly head at the end, most of this film is a satire on artists and their pursuit for achieving success. Chris is a blue-collar product of the working class who makes the fateful decision(..probably taking that step at doing something unpredictable which throws a potential cog in the wheel of his daily routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, and watching television)of entering a world very different from his own. But, as the film culminates towards the violence, it's an explosion with poor Chris experiencing the madness first-hand. I think many will find this unique, refreshing and different than the usual horror coming out these days, while others will be repelled, disturbed and sickened by the dark humorous situations that occur as the film continues. As far as the gore is concerned, director Jeremy Saulnier cheats a bit, not always having his camera hone in on the violent acts(..probably due to budgetary constraints, and perhaps not wanting to have his film too gratuitous). But, there are some rather unsettling moments of violence that achieve quite a visceral feel such as when one sets his werewolf mask on fire(..trying to light a cigarette) with parts of the rubber melting into his face as he attempts to peel it away and the use of a chainsaw to the face. Bullets shot into the heads of certain victims as blood drools and wicked swings of a baseball bat also play into the violent climax. There's even an ax attack on artists during an exhibit performance.
I'm pretty sure many will be wondering whether or not(..as they are watching the film)this will ever have murders during the party because the director builds up to it by exposing the artists and their MANY faults as they seem to delay the inevitable. I found this amusing because when the violence ensues it rarely stops, until Chris attempts to flee the maniac left standing. The film is, in my opinion, quite tongue-and-cheek and shouldn't be taken too seriously. If looked at improperly, this film might be quite unpleasant viewing.
likable first feature
jonathan-57711 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
How seriously this horror-comedy should be taken as a commentary on the art world is underlined with the only specific reference I caught to actual cultural practice, a rant that invokes "Jackson Pollock...and that Scorsese movie...with that guy." By which he obviously means Nick Nolte in New York Stories, right? Although by the time the battered geek returns home from the crazy streets of subcultural NYC in the final scene, I thought maybe they meant Griffin Dunne, because there's a lot of After Hours in here. A horror-comedy about murder as performance art, this movie has pacing problems; the slow build becomes a drag, and then suddenly everyone's dead in thirty seconds. Not all of the many clever ideas are well executed, the script's stabs at character development need to be improved or abandoned, and rather than surprising us with alternating funny-scary it sometimes sits too long in the middle. But a bit like Alex Barnett's reverse-Macgyver closet shtick can carry you a long way, and ultimately this is a likable and enjoyable movie whose energy and invention tend to balance out its flaws. I hope this longstanding ensemble, whose first feature this is, keeps learning, improving, and getting along.
Insultingly boring
CRJtheFirst7 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I had been promised a 'spoofy', gory parody. It was just really boring all the freaking time. It didn't make me laugh, once. This was supposed to be a comedy, right?
I had the misfortune of being recommended to watch this atrocity last Halloween, so I did. I sat through the whole thing feeling unclean the whole way through. It was very unpleasant to look at, not in a dark or creepy kind of way like in movies such as The Omen (1976) or The Fly, both of which are great and disturbing.
The main character was a bore, just someone leading a quiet life and then put into a strange situation. But unlike following him through a journey like in something such as God Bless America (2011) and understanding him going psychotic, we just watch him witness the horrors that unfold throughout the night. The other characters I barely remember. I guess they just start murdering each other and we're supposed to root for certain ones, but you won't care because they're all equally annoying throughout. So when they get killed off in (I must admit) some well thought out fashion, you will not have been invested enough in them to feel anything.
The 'plot' is about as bland as they get; guy gets abducted and then watches his captors argue for a while trying to escape a couple times. Eventually everyone tries to kill each other, resulting in our main character facing off against one guy. Then he kills him; the end. I might have made a couple of mistakes in this synopsis, but whatever. It's not like there was that much of it to begin with.
So to summarise in short; don't watch. In long; really don't watch this turd.
I had the misfortune of being recommended to watch this atrocity last Halloween, so I did. I sat through the whole thing feeling unclean the whole way through. It was very unpleasant to look at, not in a dark or creepy kind of way like in movies such as The Omen (1976) or The Fly, both of which are great and disturbing.
The main character was a bore, just someone leading a quiet life and then put into a strange situation. But unlike following him through a journey like in something such as God Bless America (2011) and understanding him going psychotic, we just watch him witness the horrors that unfold throughout the night. The other characters I barely remember. I guess they just start murdering each other and we're supposed to root for certain ones, but you won't care because they're all equally annoying throughout. So when they get killed off in (I must admit) some well thought out fashion, you will not have been invested enough in them to feel anything.
The 'plot' is about as bland as they get; guy gets abducted and then watches his captors argue for a while trying to escape a couple times. Eventually everyone tries to kill each other, resulting in our main character facing off against one guy. Then he kills him; the end. I might have made a couple of mistakes in this synopsis, but whatever. It's not like there was that much of it to begin with.
So to summarise in short; don't watch. In long; really don't watch this turd.
Weird, Funny, Bloody, and Quirky!!!
Pumpkin_Man4 October 2018
I decided to watch this on Netflix earlier, and I'm glad I did. This movie was random, fun, quirky and bloody. Very intriguing for a low budget independent film.
The movie takes place on Halloween. It's about a guy named Chris Hawley, who happens to find an invitation to a 'Murder Party' while walking down the street. He dresses in a pretty bad cardboard costume and goes to the party. Pretty soon, he's tied up and all the hosts want to kill him. He sits there half the time, making weird faces while the party goers drink and do drugs. It's so interesting and random and quirky that I really enjoyed it. If you want a funny bloody Halloween flick, I would definitely recommend MURDER PARTY!!!
The movie takes place on Halloween. It's about a guy named Chris Hawley, who happens to find an invitation to a 'Murder Party' while walking down the street. He dresses in a pretty bad cardboard costume and goes to the party. Pretty soon, he's tied up and all the hosts want to kill him. He sits there half the time, making weird faces while the party goers drink and do drugs. It's so interesting and random and quirky that I really enjoyed it. If you want a funny bloody Halloween flick, I would definitely recommend MURDER PARTY!!!
giving this one star must have alterior motives
Worldofgrim1 March 2008
Granted I gave it 10 stars, but I have no affiliation with this production. However I did go to UCLA Fine Art and WOW these guys hit the art scene on the belly button, jabbing Rabies needle right through, and into the inside of your spine! This film cracked me up, from beginning to end, it has a Jim Jarmusch feel to it in some spots, and lots of great indy, almost short film artsy fartsiness to it, but hits them all with great satire and loathing. I almost feel, like the adjoining film & art buildings at UCLA, that these guys film school was next to the euro hippy liberal art scene I was stuck in. And they fed off of and were tortured by no doubt. I can see now, how both artistes & film makers probably looked at each other like the grass is greener... only it's illegal and not bucolic.
I got that turn around pass at Blockbuster so I can rent dvds just as fast as I can watch them, thusly most dvds don't get past 7 minutes, but this will be one of those rare DVDs I will buy! And it will fit in with my fond memories of those KRAZY DAZE & KRAZY NIGHTS. Along with Mystery Train, Wild at Heart, the Moderns, School Daze, etc... it really hits a chord and made me crack up! The humor was awesome, biting, real, and so... well awesomely lame. Just like it was...is...shall ever be.
Great job guys, I hope you made a profit, to make your next.
I got that turn around pass at Blockbuster so I can rent dvds just as fast as I can watch them, thusly most dvds don't get past 7 minutes, but this will be one of those rare DVDs I will buy! And it will fit in with my fond memories of those KRAZY DAZE & KRAZY NIGHTS. Along with Mystery Train, Wild at Heart, the Moderns, School Daze, etc... it really hits a chord and made me crack up! The humor was awesome, biting, real, and so... well awesomely lame. Just like it was...is...shall ever be.
Great job guys, I hope you made a profit, to make your next.
Interesting idea, terrible script.
cosmoman1224 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
One reviewer noted the irony of this film: poking fun at the self-righteous "art" types, when the filmmakers themselves seem self-righteous. The film starts off following a black note drifting through the streets, as kids in their Halloween costumes skip along getting ready for a night of tricks and treats. Along comes Christopher, our would-be hero, except he won't be. He happens to step on this particular note and takes a look. It's an invitation to a party, or more specifically, a Murder Party. The things we want to happen in this movie don't, and you could say nothing happens in this movie, and it wouldn't be far from the truth. What we get is a conversation between these art types that lasts for over two-thirds of the movie. The rest of the film is gore for the sake of gore. I'm not a big one for gory films, but I can look past it if there is something other then gore to look to.
The idea is interesting, enough to get me excited to see it, but stops short of anything actually good. The jokes fall flat, except for a few sight gags. And Christopher, our knight in cardboard armor, who is the only person that you give a damn about, ends up having to sit most of the film out, and only gets to say about 30 words (if that) in the whole film. There is a moment pretty early on where you think it's about to get interesting, instead the writer says, "Wait, I take that back, I wasn't done with all the snappy dialog I had for these artists". Then you either have to endure listening to these assholes talk, or turn the film off. I wish I turned it off.
The score for this film, which is a homage to 80's horror flicks, is pretty terrible as well.
The only really good thing I can say for this movie is the cinematography and editing is well done.
The idea is interesting, enough to get me excited to see it, but stops short of anything actually good. The jokes fall flat, except for a few sight gags. And Christopher, our knight in cardboard armor, who is the only person that you give a damn about, ends up having to sit most of the film out, and only gets to say about 30 words (if that) in the whole film. There is a moment pretty early on where you think it's about to get interesting, instead the writer says, "Wait, I take that back, I wasn't done with all the snappy dialog I had for these artists". Then you either have to endure listening to these assholes talk, or turn the film off. I wish I turned it off.
The score for this film, which is a homage to 80's horror flicks, is pretty terrible as well.
The only really good thing I can say for this movie is the cinematography and editing is well done.
A really entertaining take on snuff films!
cb_whitewood28 April 2020
There's nothing I love more than big casts getting caught up in shenanigans. This film is exactly that, just all in the process of some art school rejects trying to film a snuff film. Character dynamics are really fun, Russian drug dealer ups the antics, pets with silly names, and more! It's a relaxed watch for sure, and not one that'll scare you. Overall, a good time.
This was supposed to be a comedy?
poolandrews5 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Murder Party is set in New York during Halloween where middle aged loner Christopher Hawley (stuntman & producer Chris Sharp) finds an invitation to a 'Murder Party' blowing around in the wind, having picked it up he decides to go to it. Once there he meets five people all dressed in costumes, these people overpower Chris & tie him to a chair with the intent to murder him & film it for reasons I don't really know. However one of the gang Sky (producer Skei Saulnier) has a reaction to a raisin(!), falls over, hits her head & klls herself (!!). The Death of their friend doesn't deter the wouldbe killers but the lure of taking some drugs, talking & not much else does &, well, not much else happens really. Can Chris turn the tables & escape his potential killers? Who cares?
Photographed, written & directed by Jermey Saulnier I am amazed at how many good reviews Murder Party but at the same time I am not surprised by all the terrible reviews it has also, maybe this is a love it or hate it film & if it is then put me firmly in the latter camp. Just flicking through some of these reviews & apart from wondering if I saw the same film I get the impression that Murder Party is meant to be funny, I must admit while watching it I didn't laugh once & I honestly can't remember a single instance of intentional humour, I really can't. To give Murder Party some credit the first few minutes are alright & the initial premise of someone trapped waiting to be killed by a group of strangers had a certain hook to it but then the film goes nowhere very, very slowly. Chris spends almost the entire film tied to a chair & barely says a word while these annoying character's stand around doing nothing in particular & due to their own stupidity they are the ones that end up dead & Chris manages to survive without so much as a scratch which is pretty much the most predictable outcome there could have been if you think about it. The dialogue is awful, the character's are awful, the narrative is awful with virtually no reason or explanation behind anything that happens & there's zero horror here either. The IMDb says this has a runtime of eighty odd minutes but it felt like hours to me last night, a slow paced, unfunny, unscary mess of a film that might have worked better as a thirty minute telly show with a twist ending of some sort.
The opening credits to Murder Party are revealing as the same names keep coming up & it seems clear this was made by a small number of people who obviously did several jobs. There's no real gore until the end when there's some burnt skin, some blood splatter & a chainsaw in someones head in a scene which sounds gory but in reality isn't. There are a few odd scenes here that are almost surreal like the train ride Chris takes & this fat black dude just sings in his face for no reason at all while he sits there impassively. The best aspect of the production is that each character is dressed in some sort of Halloween costume which gives the film a certain vibe.
This probably had a budget that wouldn't stretch to a round of drinks at your local pub & it shows with the virtually entire thing set in one part of a warehouse. The acting didn't do anything for me although I have seen worse.
Murder Party is a film that I pretty much hated apart from the the basic plot & the fact the lead character's are all dressed in odd Halloween costumes, despite that I still didn't like it & thought it was a complete waste of my time.
Photographed, written & directed by Jermey Saulnier I am amazed at how many good reviews Murder Party but at the same time I am not surprised by all the terrible reviews it has also, maybe this is a love it or hate it film & if it is then put me firmly in the latter camp. Just flicking through some of these reviews & apart from wondering if I saw the same film I get the impression that Murder Party is meant to be funny, I must admit while watching it I didn't laugh once & I honestly can't remember a single instance of intentional humour, I really can't. To give Murder Party some credit the first few minutes are alright & the initial premise of someone trapped waiting to be killed by a group of strangers had a certain hook to it but then the film goes nowhere very, very slowly. Chris spends almost the entire film tied to a chair & barely says a word while these annoying character's stand around doing nothing in particular & due to their own stupidity they are the ones that end up dead & Chris manages to survive without so much as a scratch which is pretty much the most predictable outcome there could have been if you think about it. The dialogue is awful, the character's are awful, the narrative is awful with virtually no reason or explanation behind anything that happens & there's zero horror here either. The IMDb says this has a runtime of eighty odd minutes but it felt like hours to me last night, a slow paced, unfunny, unscary mess of a film that might have worked better as a thirty minute telly show with a twist ending of some sort.
The opening credits to Murder Party are revealing as the same names keep coming up & it seems clear this was made by a small number of people who obviously did several jobs. There's no real gore until the end when there's some burnt skin, some blood splatter & a chainsaw in someones head in a scene which sounds gory but in reality isn't. There are a few odd scenes here that are almost surreal like the train ride Chris takes & this fat black dude just sings in his face for no reason at all while he sits there impassively. The best aspect of the production is that each character is dressed in some sort of Halloween costume which gives the film a certain vibe.
This probably had a budget that wouldn't stretch to a round of drinks at your local pub & it shows with the virtually entire thing set in one part of a warehouse. The acting didn't do anything for me although I have seen worse.
Murder Party is a film that I pretty much hated apart from the the basic plot & the fact the lead character's are all dressed in odd Halloween costumes, despite that I still didn't like it & thought it was a complete waste of my time.
Refreshing Horror Comedy
mindsclay23 October 2007
Well done. Not just a horror movie that gets laughs from the horror gags. The humor was steady throughout, if you like dark comedy. I found the story to be refreshing as it doesn't "keyframe" its story with cliché. Whether it be Hollywood formula, cinematic guidelines, director's guild tribal knowledge, or actor's schizophrenia, this movie doesn't rely on these tried and true methods. It's shock value is in the twist of fate scenario(s), and the absurdity of human behavior.
The gore content was only at a level as what was necessary, not over the top. Some may disagree here, but think about all the zombie movies. Okay, the "art" room may have been a little graphic, emphasizing "little", but it was... "art", eh? Even the attempted gore had humorous tones. I didn't laugh out loud... but it was funny!
For those of you who like dark comedy, horror movies and action, and want something new and refreshing, watch Murder Party.
Oh, yeah, after watching it you'll learn that even a "cat" will understand that the master has had a really, really bad day.
The gore content was only at a level as what was necessary, not over the top. Some may disagree here, but think about all the zombie movies. Okay, the "art" room may have been a little graphic, emphasizing "little", but it was... "art", eh? Even the attempted gore had humorous tones. I didn't laugh out loud... but it was funny!
For those of you who like dark comedy, horror movies and action, and want something new and refreshing, watch Murder Party.
Oh, yeah, after watching it you'll learn that even a "cat" will understand that the master has had a really, really bad day.
Starts off promising then quickly lowers
kannibalcorpsegrinder16 November 2017
Accepting a strange party invitation, a middle-aged man finds that the event is really a ruse by a group of psychopaths intending to kill him only to continually thwart their attempts in the process and has to save himself from the remaining group finishing what they started.
This could've been quite the fun and enjoyable effort. What really tends to give this one a lot to work with is the exceptionally silly and goofy premise at the forefront of this one. The general concept of their ruse makes for a fun twist that's given right at the beginning of the film and the utterly cheesy premise has a lot of time to really work itself out with plenty of crazy encounters featuring him at the mercy of the group. The initial scenes of him mingling about the group where he's unaware of what they're going to do to him as they begin getting really obscure and off-the-wall makes for an overall stellar start to the film. As well, the way this quickly delves into the bonkers territory with their games and torture tactics which has a sense of unease in what's going on as they go through their routines and games with him which is where this one does slip somewhat but still has enough overt weirdness about it to really generate some fun times with their treatment of him setting up the film's best aspects in the final half. Consisting of a series of chases around not only their captive warehouse but also the neighboring art installation which ramps up the gore nicely but also has some thrilling action overall. Given that there's a lot of stellar gore and bloodshed, this here really makes for quite a fun time while it does have a few minor problems. The film's main issue is that it tends to downplay its stellar premise from the get- go with the idea of basically strapping him down in a chair for the main part of the film. He doesn't have much to do for almost nearly an hour into this and then has just slightly more to do than that in the overall finale so he really could've been written out of the film and not changed it much. That really does lower this one significantly since he doesn't do anything and has nothing to do with the story overall, rendering him somewhat useless than what should've been the case. As well, most of that is due to the film's other big issue with the really banal and overlong round of interviewing they go through which takes up so much time to accomplish nothing but irritation as nothing happens during these countless sessions and manages to drag this out with it's meandering and utterly unnecessary moments which are unneeded in the end. As well as the somewhat obvious low-budget nature of the film, these here are what really lower this one.
Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and heavy drug use.
This could've been quite the fun and enjoyable effort. What really tends to give this one a lot to work with is the exceptionally silly and goofy premise at the forefront of this one. The general concept of their ruse makes for a fun twist that's given right at the beginning of the film and the utterly cheesy premise has a lot of time to really work itself out with plenty of crazy encounters featuring him at the mercy of the group. The initial scenes of him mingling about the group where he's unaware of what they're going to do to him as they begin getting really obscure and off-the-wall makes for an overall stellar start to the film. As well, the way this quickly delves into the bonkers territory with their games and torture tactics which has a sense of unease in what's going on as they go through their routines and games with him which is where this one does slip somewhat but still has enough overt weirdness about it to really generate some fun times with their treatment of him setting up the film's best aspects in the final half. Consisting of a series of chases around not only their captive warehouse but also the neighboring art installation which ramps up the gore nicely but also has some thrilling action overall. Given that there's a lot of stellar gore and bloodshed, this here really makes for quite a fun time while it does have a few minor problems. The film's main issue is that it tends to downplay its stellar premise from the get- go with the idea of basically strapping him down in a chair for the main part of the film. He doesn't have much to do for almost nearly an hour into this and then has just slightly more to do than that in the overall finale so he really could've been written out of the film and not changed it much. That really does lower this one significantly since he doesn't do anything and has nothing to do with the story overall, rendering him somewhat useless than what should've been the case. As well, most of that is due to the film's other big issue with the really banal and overlong round of interviewing they go through which takes up so much time to accomplish nothing but irritation as nothing happens during these countless sessions and manages to drag this out with it's meandering and utterly unnecessary moments which are unneeded in the end. As well as the somewhat obvious low-budget nature of the film, these here are what really lower this one.
Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and heavy drug use.
That's not funny!
manchester_england20044 November 2010
MURDER PARTY is a supposed spoof of slasher movies, thrillers where people are held hostage as well as a vehicle for poking fun at art generally.
The plot sees Chris, a somewhat lonely guy who lives alone with a cat, finding an invitation to a murder party. He makes a very ridiculous Sir Lancelot costume from cardboard boxes and goes to the party, which is held at a warehouse. There is no party and Chris finds himself trapped by a group of deranged drug addicts who plan to kill him and film the act.
The first few minutes of the movie were quite good and suitably misleading for what is to follow. There was nothing funny but Chris was an interesting character to start with. He would have been great in a different movie.
By the time he gets to the party, things go downhill quickly. This would have been better if made as a serious horror/thriller since its attempts to be funny come off as downright ridiculous or plain bizarre.
Chris Sharp plays the lead role very well. His reactions were well captured. In a more serious production, I would have been rooting for his character. But with this being a parody, I knew he was never in serious danger of harm.
The remaining actors are all terrible, either underacting or overacting in various degrees.
Most of this movie takes place in a single setting - a warehouse. There is nothing wrong with this - if the story and script play out well. Unfortunately they do not. The deranged drug addicts just talk a lot of endless nonsense about art and film whilst Chris is gagged and tied to a chair. Some scenes carry on like this for 10 minutes or more, making the modest running time drag out somewhat.
The direction is very much along the lines of parodies such as SCARY MOVIE. The gags are telegraphed in advance, the attempts at humour are massively overplayed, there is comic music in the background when Chris tries to escape and there are some incredibly silly special effects.
I am a fan of "so-bad-it's-good" movies such as CAMP BLOOD, THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE, TROLL 2, DON'T GO IN THE WOODS and CHOPPING MALL just to name a few. Comparing these laugh riots to MURDER PARTY proves that humour deriving from a serious subject only works when it is UNINTENTIONAL.
Overall, MURDER PARTY is a seriously unfunny movie that has one interesting thing about it - the main character. It is hard to recommend this to anyone, except for perhaps fans of SCARY MOVIE or other intentional spoofs. For everyone else, I advise keeping to established serious horror or go with "so-bad-it's-good" classics.
The plot sees Chris, a somewhat lonely guy who lives alone with a cat, finding an invitation to a murder party. He makes a very ridiculous Sir Lancelot costume from cardboard boxes and goes to the party, which is held at a warehouse. There is no party and Chris finds himself trapped by a group of deranged drug addicts who plan to kill him and film the act.
The first few minutes of the movie were quite good and suitably misleading for what is to follow. There was nothing funny but Chris was an interesting character to start with. He would have been great in a different movie.
By the time he gets to the party, things go downhill quickly. This would have been better if made as a serious horror/thriller since its attempts to be funny come off as downright ridiculous or plain bizarre.
Chris Sharp plays the lead role very well. His reactions were well captured. In a more serious production, I would have been rooting for his character. But with this being a parody, I knew he was never in serious danger of harm.
The remaining actors are all terrible, either underacting or overacting in various degrees.
Most of this movie takes place in a single setting - a warehouse. There is nothing wrong with this - if the story and script play out well. Unfortunately they do not. The deranged drug addicts just talk a lot of endless nonsense about art and film whilst Chris is gagged and tied to a chair. Some scenes carry on like this for 10 minutes or more, making the modest running time drag out somewhat.
The direction is very much along the lines of parodies such as SCARY MOVIE. The gags are telegraphed in advance, the attempts at humour are massively overplayed, there is comic music in the background when Chris tries to escape and there are some incredibly silly special effects.
I am a fan of "so-bad-it's-good" movies such as CAMP BLOOD, THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE, TROLL 2, DON'T GO IN THE WOODS and CHOPPING MALL just to name a few. Comparing these laugh riots to MURDER PARTY proves that humour deriving from a serious subject only works when it is UNINTENTIONAL.
Overall, MURDER PARTY is a seriously unfunny movie that has one interesting thing about it - the main character. It is hard to recommend this to anyone, except for perhaps fans of SCARY MOVIE or other intentional spoofs. For everyone else, I advise keeping to established serious horror or go with "so-bad-it's-good" classics.
Low Budget Flick that Actually Works
arfdawg-112 April 2017
The Plot.
On Halloween Eve in Brooklyn, an average Joe loser named Chris finds an invitation to a costume party.
Arriving at the "party", Chris discovers he's fallen prey to the lethal trap set by deranged artists.
As the night wears on, rivalries within the group flare up.
A body count accrues, and Chris must take advantage of the ensuing chaos if he's to survive the night.
Plow budget but it works. Yes, the story sort of doesn't make sense all that much, but they make it interesting and so you're willing to stick it out to see what happens!
On Halloween Eve in Brooklyn, an average Joe loser named Chris finds an invitation to a costume party.
Arriving at the "party", Chris discovers he's fallen prey to the lethal trap set by deranged artists.
As the night wears on, rivalries within the group flare up.
A body count accrues, and Chris must take advantage of the ensuing chaos if he's to survive the night.
Plow budget but it works. Yes, the story sort of doesn't make sense all that much, but they make it interesting and so you're willing to stick it out to see what happens!
Original and amusing covered in blood
jackmeat13 October 2015
My quick rating 5,6/10. Fun yet very bizarre movie that follows a group that plans a murder party and drops a random invite on the street not really expecting anyone to show up to be killed, for real all in the name of "art" THe movie is basically humor, then drug induced inside jokes, then a complete full on blood bath. It is constant misfortune, turn of events, and strange coincidence that leads the whole story. Overall pretty damn funny and worth the watch. I personally had not sen this one before and glad I now did. Check it out if you get a chance. Just a small warning, the drug part of the movie drags on WAY too long. Beyond that, the gore makes up for it.
Fun, Wild Film Among Pretentious Artists
Reviews_of_the_Dead7 February 2020
This was a movie that I was turned on to as I saw one of the writer/director's later films Green Room. I really dug what we had going on there, so through podcasts I learned about this one and added it to my list. I did come in relatively blind to just see what this was all about and thankfully, it is streaming on Netlix. The synopsis is 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.
The movie kicks off establishing that it is Halloween. We have Christopher S. Hawley (Chris Sharp) renting a few horror VHS tapes before heading home. On his way he finds an invitation moving down the sidewalk in the wind. He picks it up and opens it, learning that he's been invited to something called 'Murder Party'. He takes it home with him. It is there he discovers that his jack-o-lantern has been smashed. He goes inside to settle in for the night. There's a funny scene where he goes to his chair to watch a movie and his cat, Sir Lancelot (Puff Snooty), won't get down. I like this being an intriguing way to establish that his cat doesn't respect him so people in life probably don't either.
Chris then decides to go this party. We learn this through him baking pumpkin bread with raisins from his smashed jack-o-lantern and then building a costume out of a cardboard box, which he makes into a sweet knight costume. He then heads out.
Things then take a turn though when he arrives. In the room is Macon (Macon Blair) who has a werewolf mask, Lexi (Stacy Rock) who is doing cocaine, Sky (Skei Saulnier), Paul (Paul Goldblatt) who is a vampire and Bill (William Lacey) who has the best costume as one of the Baseball Furies from The Warriors. They're shocked that someone shows up and they tie up Chris. This is a legit murder party and they're going to kill this unsuspecting guy.
The reason being is that Alexander (Sandy Barnett) is coming. He is a rich guy with a grant and all of these people are artists. They want that money as it could be life changing for them. Paul is a photographer and Bill is a painter. The movie really establishes what their mediums are while Lexi does movies that are art-based. Sky doesn't want to do this now that they have Chris, but things take a turn though when she eats some of the bread he brought and she has an allergic reaction, hitting her head which kills her. This group of people is pretentious and their secrets come out when Alexander and his drug dealer, Zycho (Bill Tangradi) shows up. It has some lethal results as buttons are pushed. They're not used to what their doing, so it is also bumbling and comedy follows.
As I lead this off, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I do have to give Saulnier credit. He didn't waste any time in introducing us to the characters or getting into what is going on here. I think a lot of that is the movie only runs 79 minutes and he really doesn't waste any of that time. It can be tough when you don't have a lot of characters like we do here, but all of them get fleshed out and I can tell you something about each one.
What makes this even better, none of these people are really killers. Sky is accidentally killed and the group really panics on what to do. They could just call the police, but you can't as there's a bunch of drugs and they have Chris tied up, as what happens to Sky is an accident. They all really want this grant, so they can't do anything that could scare off Alexander. He's a real jerk though and I love the reveal of his character. I don't think it is anything that is too shocking, especially with how he acts. It is just interesting though that they all fell for it.
Chris is also an interesting character for me. He really is tied up and gagged for most of the movie. Seeing what these people are saying they're going to do to him, his fear is growing where his fight or flight reflexes eventually come into effect. I like that when he gets his chance though, it is very realistic. The movie doesn't make him into this badass who just mows through everyone and I like it. I also like two of the characters in this collective are pushed to the edge until they break. What each does is different, but again quite believable.
I've already said that I thought the pacing was good here so the other thing I want to bring up would be that even when it slows in the middle to establish more of the characters, there are subtle things going on. The comedy here is pretty subtle as well so it really doesn't hurt like many tend to do for me. This movie does get wild when Chris gets free and where it ends up. I wasn't necessarily expecting that, but I will say I dug it. Pretty much every character has a reveal or growth and I can get down with that as well.
The acting really drives this movie though as the story isn't complex. If anything, it is all of the characters' stories are complex. Sharp does really well at being this bumbling guy that I felt bad for. He doesn't really have any friends, his cat doesn't respect him and due to his loneliness he went to this party, where he's going to be killed and no one is going to even really know. What makes it great though is the change that comes over his character and where it ends up. Blair was really good as the artist that is in love with Lexi, but she's not interested and he's just trying to impress her. What happens to him in the end was interesting for sure. Rock is extremely pretentious, but there's something about her that I found attractive. Goldblatt is a bit obviously and also a bisexual which plays into something interesting in the movie. Lacey was one of my favorite characters as he's not very engaged until the climax and I love where his breaking point takes him. Barnett is another interesting character along with his drug dealer Tangradi. Also shout-out to Hellhammer who is portrayed by Sampson Saulnier as a cute dog in a skeleton outfit.
That will take me next to the effects here. Something I give a lot of praise for Saulnier is the use of practical ones. Now some of this could actually be due to budgetary reasons, so if that is the case then, I'm glad he's working within those constraints. This movie doesn't use a lot of them as a good portion of it is hidden so there's that. These people aren't actually killers so they're working up to what they're trying to do. I thought through good cinematography, it is hidden and what is shown looked real. This includes something that happens at the end to Macon that looked really good and the climax I was on board with. The blood looks real with color and consistency for sure.
Now with that said, I ended up really digging this movie. It doesn't have the most complex story, but it is character driven and I think they're all pretty fleshed out with things that we see or through interactions with each other. It has a low runtime, which I think definitely helps. I thought the performances bring their characters to life. I would say there's not a lot in the way of effects, but it didn't necessarily need them as what we got looks good. The soundtrack didn't really stand out, but it fit for what was needed and it never took me out of the movie. I would rate that this is above average and I could see the beginnings of what I like about this director for sure.
Read more: https://horrorreview.webnode.com/news/murder-party/
The movie kicks off establishing that it is Halloween. We have Christopher S. Hawley (Chris Sharp) renting a few horror VHS tapes before heading home. On his way he finds an invitation moving down the sidewalk in the wind. He picks it up and opens it, learning that he's been invited to something called 'Murder Party'. He takes it home with him. It is there he discovers that his jack-o-lantern has been smashed. He goes inside to settle in for the night. There's a funny scene where he goes to his chair to watch a movie and his cat, Sir Lancelot (Puff Snooty), won't get down. I like this being an intriguing way to establish that his cat doesn't respect him so people in life probably don't either.
Chris then decides to go this party. We learn this through him baking pumpkin bread with raisins from his smashed jack-o-lantern and then building a costume out of a cardboard box, which he makes into a sweet knight costume. He then heads out.
Things then take a turn though when he arrives. In the room is Macon (Macon Blair) who has a werewolf mask, Lexi (Stacy Rock) who is doing cocaine, Sky (Skei Saulnier), Paul (Paul Goldblatt) who is a vampire and Bill (William Lacey) who has the best costume as one of the Baseball Furies from The Warriors. They're shocked that someone shows up and they tie up Chris. This is a legit murder party and they're going to kill this unsuspecting guy.
The reason being is that Alexander (Sandy Barnett) is coming. He is a rich guy with a grant and all of these people are artists. They want that money as it could be life changing for them. Paul is a photographer and Bill is a painter. The movie really establishes what their mediums are while Lexi does movies that are art-based. Sky doesn't want to do this now that they have Chris, but things take a turn though when she eats some of the bread he brought and she has an allergic reaction, hitting her head which kills her. This group of people is pretentious and their secrets come out when Alexander and his drug dealer, Zycho (Bill Tangradi) shows up. It has some lethal results as buttons are pushed. They're not used to what their doing, so it is also bumbling and comedy follows.
As I lead this off, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I do have to give Saulnier credit. He didn't waste any time in introducing us to the characters or getting into what is going on here. I think a lot of that is the movie only runs 79 minutes and he really doesn't waste any of that time. It can be tough when you don't have a lot of characters like we do here, but all of them get fleshed out and I can tell you something about each one.
What makes this even better, none of these people are really killers. Sky is accidentally killed and the group really panics on what to do. They could just call the police, but you can't as there's a bunch of drugs and they have Chris tied up, as what happens to Sky is an accident. They all really want this grant, so they can't do anything that could scare off Alexander. He's a real jerk though and I love the reveal of his character. I don't think it is anything that is too shocking, especially with how he acts. It is just interesting though that they all fell for it.
Chris is also an interesting character for me. He really is tied up and gagged for most of the movie. Seeing what these people are saying they're going to do to him, his fear is growing where his fight or flight reflexes eventually come into effect. I like that when he gets his chance though, it is very realistic. The movie doesn't make him into this badass who just mows through everyone and I like it. I also like two of the characters in this collective are pushed to the edge until they break. What each does is different, but again quite believable.
I've already said that I thought the pacing was good here so the other thing I want to bring up would be that even when it slows in the middle to establish more of the characters, there are subtle things going on. The comedy here is pretty subtle as well so it really doesn't hurt like many tend to do for me. This movie does get wild when Chris gets free and where it ends up. I wasn't necessarily expecting that, but I will say I dug it. Pretty much every character has a reveal or growth and I can get down with that as well.
The acting really drives this movie though as the story isn't complex. If anything, it is all of the characters' stories are complex. Sharp does really well at being this bumbling guy that I felt bad for. He doesn't really have any friends, his cat doesn't respect him and due to his loneliness he went to this party, where he's going to be killed and no one is going to even really know. What makes it great though is the change that comes over his character and where it ends up. Blair was really good as the artist that is in love with Lexi, but she's not interested and he's just trying to impress her. What happens to him in the end was interesting for sure. Rock is extremely pretentious, but there's something about her that I found attractive. Goldblatt is a bit obviously and also a bisexual which plays into something interesting in the movie. Lacey was one of my favorite characters as he's not very engaged until the climax and I love where his breaking point takes him. Barnett is another interesting character along with his drug dealer Tangradi. Also shout-out to Hellhammer who is portrayed by Sampson Saulnier as a cute dog in a skeleton outfit.
That will take me next to the effects here. Something I give a lot of praise for Saulnier is the use of practical ones. Now some of this could actually be due to budgetary reasons, so if that is the case then, I'm glad he's working within those constraints. This movie doesn't use a lot of them as a good portion of it is hidden so there's that. These people aren't actually killers so they're working up to what they're trying to do. I thought through good cinematography, it is hidden and what is shown looked real. This includes something that happens at the end to Macon that looked really good and the climax I was on board with. The blood looks real with color and consistency for sure.
Now with that said, I ended up really digging this movie. It doesn't have the most complex story, but it is character driven and I think they're all pretty fleshed out with things that we see or through interactions with each other. It has a low runtime, which I think definitely helps. I thought the performances bring their characters to life. I would say there's not a lot in the way of effects, but it didn't necessarily need them as what we got looks good. The soundtrack didn't really stand out, but it fit for what was needed and it never took me out of the movie. I would rate that this is above average and I could see the beginnings of what I like about this director for sure.
Read more: https://horrorreview.webnode.com/news/murder-party/
How many of the directors pals, family members, acquaintances and neighbors wrote reviews for this turd?
CaffeineFever3 October 2018
Seriously, this is far from a 6, let alone a 9 or 10. I read one review that said they were hooked within the first 5 minutes. Literally nothing happens in the first 5 minutes. The main character pours some candy corn in a bowl, tries to get his cat to move so he can sit down and makes pumpkin bread. Which I've never even heard of but sounds gross. Especially with raisins. Then decides to go to a party that he found an invitation to on the ground. Then the movie goes downhill from there. I never write reviews on here but I felt the need to show the makers they need to have some integrity and let the people decide whether the movie is good or not. Which it's not. And I'm a little angry for wasting my time with it after reading the misleading reviews.
Pretty decent comedy with a solid horror ending
clarkshanyn16 July 2019
I liked the film for what it is: A spooky horror-comedy romp that plays on the pretentiousness of artists in a really campy sort of way. It had some good goods and gaffs and I enjoyed the characters, though some of the acting was a little cheese (what are you gonna do? This is horror, people). It leans a little more towards comedy at times than horror, but the last 25 minutes or so is pure bloody fun. I'd watch this again as Halloween viewing with friends and wouldn't be worried that they would hate me for picking a bad movie which is really all I can ask for.
Do yourself a favor... dont watch it
dhgthomashoej8 January 2019
Great fun
rrfrank24 August 2007
Really can't compliment this movie enough considering it's no doubt tight budget constraints. The last scrappy indie movie to come up with a smart concept and execute it this well was Blair Witch. Quite refreshing to see a low budget "genre" picture that's actually well-made and delivers the goods. Filmmakers were smart about locations (Brooklyn industrial areas) and using Halloween night in NYC as a backdrop. Very nicely shot, well-edited, but above all it's the acting that makes this movie stand out. Has both broad and subtle humor and it's a lot of fun. Expect creators behind this production to go on to do other bigger and better things.
Starts off strong but kinda fizzles out
j-nickturner14 April 2020
Overall, I enjoyed this. The characters are pretty funny and so is a good amount of the movie.
But the mid section and the end kinda drag without many jokes or action.
Probably would've made a better short film. I'd say 30 minutes or so could've been cut and the movie would've been better for it. Still worth a watch though!
But the mid section and the end kinda drag without many jokes or action.
Probably would've made a better short film. I'd say 30 minutes or so could've been cut and the movie would've been better for it. Still worth a watch though!
My Review
joemamaohio19 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Quiet loner Chris (Chris Sharp) gets an invitation to a 'Murder Party' on Halloween, and goes in the costume of the black knight from "Monty Python & the Holy Grail." Unbeknownst to him, when he arrives, he finds that it really IS a murder party, and he's the real murder victim at the hands of several struggling artists! However, things look up for him when the artists turn on one another, causing much bloodshed, death, and dismemberment in their path. Will Chris survive the murder party? I can see why some people like this film, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was humorous enough and gory enough, but just the overall feeling of it wasn't exciting to me.
Murder Party was a cool party
yasuhirohagakure18 March 2021
The film which is Jeremy Saulnier's first feature film and 3rd film including 2 short films he made prior is actually not bad!
It tried to be what it wanted, a hilarious comedy with alot of gore and it succeeded. I love films where the main killers are humans cause it adds to the realism.
The protagonist on his own is an interesting one. A dimwit and a coward. We usually don't see those types of protagonists but Murder Party really made you feel bad for the guy despite him having very little lines.
The costumes for the killers are references and they are pretty cool!
7/10
It tried to be what it wanted, a hilarious comedy with alot of gore and it succeeded. I love films where the main killers are humans cause it adds to the realism.
The protagonist on his own is an interesting one. A dimwit and a coward. We usually don't see those types of protagonists but Murder Party really made you feel bad for the guy despite him having very little lines.
The costumes for the killers are references and they are pretty cool!
7/10
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
