Murder Party is writer and director Jeremy Saulnier’s first feature film. The story follows Christopher (Chris Sharp) as he goes to a mysterious “Murder Party” that he picked up an invitation to. Unbeknownst to him, the purpose of the party is to murder whoever picked up the invitation. Why is this group of people interested in killing someone? Why it’s all in the name of art of course! The group is assigned this task by a man who promises the group of artists a grant if they can creatively dispose of Christopher.

Now this is not the most remarkable horror/comedy movie ever made but it’s certainly entertaining to watch. There are several moments of comic relief despite how out of place it may seem at times. Saulnier did an excellent job not only writing the story but controlling the flow of it as it progressed. The movie starts off looking like a goofy 80’s horror flick but soon escalates to a gratuitous murder romp and this is accompanied by a change in the way that the movie is filmed. As the action escalates and our protagonist struggles to escape, the camera shots become more and more claustrophobic. Due to the fact that this movie was filmed with virtually no budget, it was interesting to see how well all the effects and action were handled.

The acting throughout the movie was not bad at all. Chris Sharp did a great job at portraying the awkward protagonist of the film and despite the fact that he did not have too many lines, he projected all of the fear that his character was feeling. William Lacey who played Bill was another interesting actor. The way he was able to portray a nonchalant character and then a complete murderous maniac did not seem terribly off as it tends to with some other actors.

This movie is not without its faults however, there are a few instances of “Why didn’t they just…” moments. Other than that, the movie is well worth a watch. The sight gags combined with the gore make this one of the best B-movies that people haven’t seen. In the long run, the low budget used to make this movie may have helped it produce some laughs that might not have been there otherwise. This movie is far from perfect. Murder Party may not even be a memorable horror film to some but there is bound to be at least one scene that will make you laugh.

TL;DR: Great debut film from Writer/Director Jeremy Saulnier. Has what it takes to gain a cult following.

Rockit Raccon Rating: 7/10

IMDB: 5.8/10