Connect with us

News

Review: ‘Monster Party’ Is A Soirée Of Carnage

Published

on

Desperate times call for desperate measures. With his father owing thousands to a violent loan shark, Casper (Sam strike) and his fellow thief friends Dodge (Brandon Michael Hall) and Iris (Virginia Gardner) need to make a big score. Opportunity strikes when Iris scores a job catering a rich family’s mansion in Malibu. The Dawson Family, including patriarch, Patrick (Julian McMahon), matriarch Alexis (Erin Moriarty), son Elliot (Kian Lawley), and daughter Roxanne (Robin Tunney) seem friendly, if a bit snobbish and quirky. They’re having a celebration with some other aristocrats led by Milo (Lance Reddick) in celebrating their sobriety. But not from drugs or alcohol… but from mass murder. And when somebody gets back on the kill wagon, the party goes straight to hell, with the caterers marked for death!

Image via Youtube

Monster Party is the sophomore feature by writer/director Chris von Hoffman, and in spite of a telling smaller budget, his style and ability really shines through. The build up to the inevitable party massacre is decently paced, with enough tension building to keep you hooked. The story deals with themes of wealth disparity and how the rich prey on the poor much like other socially conscious horror films such as Society and They Live, but doesn’t go too deep into them. The satire is apparent, but it felt more face value than anything.

Image via IMDB

The ensemble cast stands out, especially the three would-be thieves. The opening establishes their relationship well and shows the dire situation that brings them out of the frying pan and into the fire in the quest for money to save Casper’s father from his own greed. On the other side, the family and associates of killers were all right for the most part. The ones that caught the most attention were Kian Lawley and Lance Reddick’s characters. Elliot is an obnoxious and short-tempered psychopath who doesn’t care for their group’s homicide sobriety while Reddick’s Milo acts as a calculating leader to the patchwork group of millionaire maniacs. His character able to see the consequences of their actions and trying to rein them in with a charisma that leashes the others in… or at least, tries to keep them in check.

The cinematography of Monster Party by Tobias Deml is a highlight, showcasing the beauty of Malibu Beach and the Dawson Estate in parallel to the abject horrors taking place. The scares are low for the most part, operating more as a thriller like Green Room and Don’t Breathe but lacking quite the same punch. There are a few decent twists and turns by the end, but the plot line unfolds fairly straightforward once things go to hell.

Image via IMDB

While not the strongest modern thriller, Monster Party is a well made lower-budgeted thriller with a good sense of class and carnage.

Monster Party is in limited theaters and VOD/Digital starting November 2nd.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

on

Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

on

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

on

lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading