Killer Party

Synopsis:

Recalling zombie horror-comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, KILLER PARTY is the directorial debut of Alex Drummond.  The film follows a group of clueless friends who become trapped at a baby shower when a sudden zombie apocalypse threatens their lives. Waiting for help to arrive it soon becomes clear that no one is coming and the group will have to use their limited urban survival skills to fight their way to freedom.

What We Thought:

Killer Party, originally called The Shower, has been doing the festival circuit since 2014. In that time it has been winning awards left and right,  awards for the film itself, the directing, the acting, the soundtrack, the cast, and various other categories. Quite an accomplishment for Alex Drummond, considering it is his directorial debut.

When I got the chance to review this, I was eager to watch.  The film ended up being very entertaining and fun. I found it humorous that all the characters at the party were aspiring actors, or writers or otherwise had some connection to entertainment but were still at the struggle stage of their careers, and the one guest at the party who had “made it” would still be like a C or D list celebrity.  The take on zombies in this film is interesting, they are almost like the rage zombies from movies like 28 Days later, but they keep some sentience, as they talk and taunt the uninfected, and in some cases are apologizing for their actions while attacking someone.  I was very amused by the survival ineptitude of the characters, which made sense considering the character’s backgrounds. I liked how the main zombie who gives them the most problems is the clown that was hired to entertain the children of the people attending the baby shower. The fact that the children kind of disappear, and only reappear when necessary for a plot point, before disappearing again was a little irritating.  The gore, sight gags and makeup effects were great. The acting definitely was deserving of the awards that had been one, besides maybe one or two performances. I even liked how Killer Party has a non-standard ending. I will definitely be watching for more from Alex Drummond.

As much as I enjoyed Killer Party, and it was a fun watch, I feel it didn’t quite live up to the hype. It wasn’t quite as funny as I was expecting. More time (too much time really) was spent focusing on the friends, and the troubles in their relationships, than it was spent focusing on the fun, funny and ridiculous elements. There was a little too much drama for a Horror Comedy. There just isn’t enough action, horror moments, and jokes for the whole film, they are spread a little thin. The inconsistencies in how long it took someone to turn bothered me a little too, one person gets bit and doesn’t turn for most of the movie, another person bit seems to turn almost instantly.

Overall Killer Party is a great watch. Despite the flaws, it is still a fun movie. I just wanted it to be more. I can definitely say it is RECOMMENDED!

Recommended If You Like:

• Shaun Of The Dead
• Zombieland
• Horror comedy