BODIES BODIES BODIES: Exciting Slasher With Just A Smidge Of Paranoia

A murder mystery is commonly presented with a serious tone, designed to keep your attention on who the culprit might be, before their evil plan is delivered to you on a silver platter. Halina Rejin‘s Bodies Bodies Bodies rather focuses on an escalation of violence, and it’s not afraid to embrace the ridiculousness surrounding the entire situation. The slasher doesn’t need to be scary with its jumpscares, given how the twists and turns these characters send you through as they lose control of the night are enough to send chills down your spine. Rejin‘s horror comedy set in the middle of a storm is a frightening good time.

It’s All About Gen-Z

One of this story’s defining features is aiming for a Gen-Z audience. Sure, teens in a horror movie will probably make the worst possible choice in any given scenario, but this killing spree in particular reflects the current generation’s obsession with technology and their short attention span. Even the deadpan delivery of some of the jokes embodies today’s youth’s sense of humor, proving this murder mystery as responsive towards the present’s tendency of people seeing life through social media.

It all begins with Bee (Maria Bakalova), who is taken by her wealthy girlfriend, Sophie (Amanda Stenberg), to a “hurricane party”, an excuse to get high inside a mansion while there is a deadly storm going on outside the place. While they are at the party, Sophie’s friends and the main couple get bored and decide to play “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (not the film, but the game within the film). Similar to one of the pandemic’s most prolific video games, Among Us, the game consists of a sneaky killer taking out unsuspecting victims, with the remaining group giving their best guess as to who the antagonist is.

Everything goes south when an actual dead body is found at the party, prompting this group of college-aged thrill seekers to embark on a real search for a killer. The atmosphere is established when the storm leaves the house without power, leaving flashlights and cell phones as the only sources of light. Nobody can be trusted and with an enormous mansion sunk in darkness, danger might be right around the corner.

Terrifying Film, Terrific Performances

The highlights, when it comes to the performances of Bodies Bodies Bodies, are most definitely the leading ladies. Bakalova and Stenberg shine as a young couple who find themselves trapped in horrific situations they could have never imagined being a part of. One of the fundamentals regarding a mystery of this sort is making most, if not all characters, suspicious. Bakalova and Stenberg constantly keep the audience guessing their character’s true colors, providing enough sympathetic speeches and questionable decisions to prevent the viewer from firmly taking anyone’s side.

The supporting cast becomes the backbone of the story. Rachel Sennott‘s Alice is a particularly unlikable character, not taking enough time to listen to what her friends are trying to tell her. This, of course, becomes understandable as the film carries on due to the horrific nature of the events the girls go through. But, despite the exasperation Alice might cause to the group, she shines as the most interesting member of the supporting cast. While you can’t stand her getting in the way of the plot, you also look forward to what she might do next.

As the plot moves along, the performances work really well not only due to the cast’s electric chemistry, but also because the movie gets increasingly violent and the action becomes more unhinged and reckless. People begin falling from stairs and balconies, while other characters are forced to go outside and endure the raging hurricane which reunited the group in the first place. The film continuously finds new ways to test the characters’ limits while not going over the top and risking taking the audience out of it.

Structure and Film Solidify the Thrills

Going back to the previously mentioned focus Bodies Bodies Bodies has for Generation Z, the miscommunication which occurs when information is expected in an immediate fashion and how that might lead to paranoia is one of the film’s core ideas. Without revealing the major twists of the screenplay written by Kristen Roupenian, these young characters jumping from one mistake to the next because they don’t take a step back to assess the situation becomes a tragedy as it takes the plot into a snowball effect of gore.

A sense of dread infects the story as Bee doesn’t know who to trust, including her own girlfriend. She was dragged into this disastrous night by someone she loves, without knowing any other person attending the party. She becomes the most grounded character in the story because of her resourcefulness and critical thinking, contrasting the movie’s paranoic chain of events.

And the screenplay’s construction of that sense of paranoia concludes in a way that won’t be spoiled in this review, but is sure to bring the theme full circle. Escalating horror, combined with quick, gut-punching violence, illustrate a night that takes numerous twists and turns, making this one of the best dark comedies of the year.

Conclusion: Bodies Bodies Bodies

With a frightfully fun cast, a tight script, and a thematically relevant approach to its violence, Bodies Bodies Bodies is great slasher fun. Maria Bakalova and Amandla Stenberg lead a very committed cast which keeps you guessing who to root for, and who might be the killer. Halina Rejin delivers an exciting mystery that brings a Generation Z touch to a classic genre.

Have you seen Bodies Bodies Bodies? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Bodies Bodies Bodies was released in theaters on August 5, 2022!

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