MONSTER PARTY: Be Sure To R.S.V.P.

Pitching an original horror premise has become a tough feat, what with the bevy of cookie cutter features aping indiscriminately from the classics of the genre. Weeding out those worth our precious attention can prove even more arduous. Writer/director Chris von Hoffman‘s attempt at breaking the mold offers up visceral jumps and surprising twists with his latest flick Monster Party.

The concept: three young thieves plot to rob a mansion during a dinner party. What could go wrong? By the way, the guests happen to be recovering serial murderers. A tried and true model of claustrophobic ‘trapped with the killer’ terror blends intriguingly with the modern concept of mental health recovery to create a tense, fun nail-biter.

The Gang’s All Here

The story is paced at a solid clip, unveiling both sides of the societal spectrum early on, leaving the three teenage bandits (Sam Strike, Virginia Gardner, and Brandon Micheal Hall) sympathetic in their scheme of robbing the rich family even before the inciting incident comes to a gruesome head. The protagonists each bring a likability to their roles; Hall with his c*cky swagger, Gardner as a doubtful heroine and Strike who evolves believably into a reluctant hero of sorts. Individualizing their roles rather than being the usual horror film fodder for the murders to pick off, they skillfully garner sympathy from the audience with sharp character development.

A polarizing flip to the coin comes in the form of the elitist hosts. The usually onenote Robin Tunney uses her dispassionate acting style to craft Mrs. Dawson as the anxious matriarch of the unstable brood. Her performance remains one of the deepest characterizations portrayed in the film. Genuine and layered, Mrs. Dawson shines in comparison to the over the top psychotic heavies played gleefully by Julian McMahon, Kian Lawley, Diego Boneta, and Jamie Ward. Not to say the characters didn’t serve an entertainingly important purpose by bringing a wholly unnerving wickedness to the baddies.

The pitch-perfect Lance Reddick as Milo wins the prize for most fun character of the bunch start to finish. As with many roles he’s embodied in his brilliant career, Reddick portrays the unbreakable quiet type – until he isn’t. Calm, cool and crazy, he emerges as the person you want to know the more about. A Milo prequel would make for an intriguing future franchise.

Blood, Guts and What’s In The Basement

To give a further plot synopsis is difficult without ruining the experience. Monster Party is indeed a thin premise, but once it gets going the movie hits the ground running, stopping here and there to let the audience catch its breath. A strong factor is due in part to the taut sound design. The music cues play harsh, loud and off-putting throughout, leaving the soundtrack and score to pave a way for the madness unfolding on screen.

There is a head-scratching moment where one might find themselves screaming aloud, “Did that really just (expletive) happen?” This scene will garner groans or a chuckle. I did both, with an added gasp for effect. It’s one of those ridiculous scenes in a movie where you find yourself shocked by the bold choices made throughout the screenplay. The action comes fast and mercilessly with an interestingly unconventional disregard for who becomes the next victim. Minus one grossly stereotypical offing of a character (you’ll know it when you see it), the remaining kills will be a thrill for horror fans who’ve seen it all before and jarring for the uninitiated. Bottom line, nobody is safe.

Monster Party: Overkill Bill

With praises sung, a slight critique may be in order. As much fun as there is to be had occasionally a storyteller needs to leave well enough alone. The final scene serves to prove this when a definite stopping point had been established but instead drags out, needlessly shifting the tone. Definitely not the worst ending by far, but it felt unneeded in the service of the plot. Rather, the Tarantino-esque events diminish one of the character journeys in the oddly placed postscript.  I understand what the director was going for, but let’s agree to disagree in this case.

Breaking with some well-established convention, Chris von Hoffman knows how to keep a story tense and original while re-purposing beloved genre tropes in exciting new ways. Never boring, The movie does what it set out to do with the final product being a quick gory horror romp with a modern sensibility. Not to be too puny, Monster Party is a bloody good time and a big recommend for a modern-day slasher flick.

In this age of remakes and predictability, what would you recommend as a modern-day classic in the genre of horror? Film Inquiry would love to hear from your opinions. Join our community and keep the conversation rolling.

Monster Party is out now in the US.