Horror films are the basis for my love of movies.
Firstly, as verboten pieces of art that I was discouraged from viewing as a child because they would give me nightmares or because they were 'trash,' horror films transformed from merely objects of entertainment into forbidden slices of escapism that I needed to learn about, watch, experience and absorb. Horror movies were something secretive that held power over others (particularly authority figures) and yet were looked down on and derided as filth. This dichotomy spurred me to learn more about each of the films, watch more of them and, in turn, learn more about film in general. In an effort to claim some of that power or unravel that mystery, I exposed myself to hours and hours of film, I had no choice but to fall in love with the medium.
Secondly, within the broad genre of horror, films run a large gamut of subgenres and sub-classifications: comedies, science fiction, trash, action, social/political commentary, exploitative. There's no "one type of horror film" - there are schools of thought and approaches but no unifying element that makes something a horror film. Horror movies can be scary, or gross, or gory, or funny, or sexy or chilling or all of the above. Horror movies tend to hinge on tone, an intangible element that tends to be signature of the auteur/director behind the film. Even if films share the same general plot points, it's the injection of tone and realization of the filmmakers' vision that defines each movie. So while consuming all of these horror movies, growing to love film, I also began to understand the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between genres, tones and executions of material.
Thirdly, watching mass quantities of horror movies leads to appreciating good elements of movies, if only to preserve one's sanity. Maybe Hell Comes to Frogtown is a crap film (it is), but you can appreciate the humor of the Lady Frog trying to sex "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Or maybe The Quest (a/k/a Frog Dreaming) is a terrible movie (it is), but it has haunting shots and scenes that have stayed with me for multiple decades. The gore effects of Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master, the quips of Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives, the badassery of Phantasm II, the creature design of Nightbreed - every film, no matter its overall merits, has at least one element or scene that is appealing and well done. Even if, during those awkward pubescent years, those elements tend to be boob-related. Horror movie fans can sift through hours of crap to find something that made those hours worthwhile. And if a film has more than 1 or 2 elements that are good? An interesting score AND amazing tits? Well then the road to understanding what makes a good film (outside of aforementioned tits) begins as disparate pieces come together to make a strong, unified whole that is then spread through proselytizing to other nerds. "You haven't seen Evil Dead II? Oh we are having a sleepover and watching that RIGHT NOW!"
There are other examples of how horror movies play such pivotal roles in the formation of film freaks, many of them covered in this piece by Devin Faraci, but the point is that for such an easily vilified, belittled and ghettoized genre - horror films can serve as introduction to a love of cinema due to its broad range and malleability. Which brings us to today's film, 2007's Murder Party, written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, a dark comic Halloween film that is as steeped in film geekery as it is in obscurity.
Why this movie hasn't taken off as more of a cult film is really beyond me. It has all the makings of cult classic, but for some reason it has not become the cause celebre amongst the nerderatti that it should. But let's review each of those aspects:
- Original if Odd Premise: On Halloween, a doughy traffic cop happens upon an invitation to a "murder party." Debating between attending this mysterious event or hanging out with his cat in front of the VCR, the man (Chris Sharp) opts to attend the party. He dons a homemade knight costume and goes to the address on the invite - only to discover a group of art students who plan on killing him for ART - and for the promised money of art patron Alexander (scene stealing Alex Barnett). Hilarity ensues, as does violence, weirdness and a brutal climax that switches with blistering speed between funny and chilling.
- Dashes of Humor: But not of the tongue in cheek, fourth wall shattering variety - nothing kills cult films like irony, too much self-awareness or a pre-baked quality (looking at you, Snakes on a Plane).
- Nerd References: One of the characters is dressed like Pris from Blade Runner. Another is a baseball fury from The Warriors. There's a dark game of truth or dare that's a direct homage to a scene from The Breakfast Club.
- Cool Kills, Unique Setting: While there's not a lot of kills, those that do occur are of the inventive kind that are memorable since they are not en masse. Furthermore, there aren't a lot of films that are set in the (surprisingly? pathetically?) cut throat world of student artists. This one is, and it is awesome.
- Multiple Tones: most cult classic horror films (not counting 'so bad it's good' fare like Plan 9, Birdemic, etc.) are usually a mix of various genres and tones - comedy mashed up with horror is the most prevalent example (Dead Alive, Night of the Creeps, Slither, etc.). Murder Party also exhibits this whiplash effect of being hilarious, then gross or disturbing, before snapping back to hilarious.
Murder Party is an excellent example of what drew me to horror films, what keeps me coming back and why it's such a rich well for filmlovers. Original, funny, dark, different, nods to things I like without being a string of references. It succeeds based on artistic merit and not due to marketing efforts, expensive spectacle or flashy trickery; Saulnier has a real control over the film and manages to deliver a movie that is effective at delivering laughs and thrills.
This is a movie that was shot on the cheap and features no known actors - and it towers over most studio releases. The actors are great and it's a shame more of them haven't gotten more work since. For a small indie film, there's no halting, stuttering delivery of lines. There's a lived in quality to the performances that is essential for a film with such a small principle cast and that pretty much just takes place in one location. In that aspect, the film feels like a play. It's No Exit by way of Wes Craven. But you feel alternately sorry for these characters, reviled by them and even charmed by their attempts at humor - in other words, you relate and identify with them as people and like to watch their stories unfold.
Oh and the humor works. It's important - most intentional humor in small films is either spewing awkward, Kevin Smith-inspired, sprawling monologues or some form of boob'n'fart humor. Murder Party uses all different kinds of humor - sarcasm, awkwardness, slapstick, dead pan - as arrows in the quiver. One of the my favorite moments is when our hero realizes what is going on and tries to escape only to find himself cornered in the closet:
That's good stuff, right there.
Too often, horror films are dismissed as lesser movies. They are seen as trifles, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator and delivering not much outside of jump scares and a couple of moments of titillation. The fact is, horror is too broad a world to limit to just the Saw franchise or 80s slasher flicks or SyFy original films with overgrown animals. Horror is a rather diverse and intricate realm that isn't given enough credit for the passion it inspires and the lasting legacy of film loving it creates in its fans. Murder Party is an example of one of those fans making a movie and adding his own unique voice to the conversation. Saulnier shows how multifaceted the horror genre can be, all the levels on which it can deliver, and then creates a film that works on each of those levels.