Movies
[Review] Don’t Accept the ‘Monster Party’ Invitation
There is nothing worse than horror movies that spend too much time setting up the premise. You already know these kids will be fighting for their lives, so having to watch 30 minutes of them debating whether to go to the mansion with the creepy people can be annoying if you don’t care about the characters. Monster Party suffers from this exact problem, as we spend too much time setting up annoying and unlikeable characters and we skip over much of the gory fun.
We are introduced to a trio of robbers who target rich homes in Southern California. There’s Iris (Virginia Gardner), who is pregnant with the child of Dodge (Brandon Micheal Hall), and Casper (Sam Strike) whose dad has a gambling problem. That is it. Director Chris von Hoffmann wants us to care for these kids, yet the above information is the only thing we get to know about these characters we are supposed to sympathize with.
In one of the many similarities to Don’t Breathe, one of our robbers is forced to go on one last job to escape a terrible situation at home. Casper must now come up with a big amount of cash to pay some dangerous thugs who are threatening his dad. Luckily for him, Iris is scheduled to work as a server at a dinner party for a filthy rich family. Of course, they will get more than they bargained for.
The trailer and even the film’s synopsis are quick to spoil what’s going on with the dinner party guests, but just in case I will not say anything about it. Suffice to say, blood will be shed, and our young robbers will have to fight their way out of the house.
The performances are solid. Gardner, in particular, makes for a good old-fashioned horror heroine, and Lance Reddick manages to be menacing while also a comforting and calming presence. The main trio has some scenes with great chemistry, and you can see the fear in their eyes once everything starts going down.
The biggest gripe with the film is its lack of resources, which become too apparent once the bloodshed begins. The film’s glacial pace wouldn’t be a big problem if the characters were interesting – they are not – or if the film had some fun and inventive kills. Unfortunately, after waiting for more than 40 minutes for the “monster” part of the title to begin, the film’s budget restriction kicks in.
While von Hoffmann doesn’t shy away from blood splatter, all the deaths happen off-camera, either cutting away to someone else’s reaction, or just moving the camera to another room of the house and hear a faint scream before moving on. This wouldn’t be a problem if the film found a way around it, or if it was intentional, but it is easy to see the only reason for it was the lack of a bigger budget.
Monster Party has a morbid energy that keeps you interested despite all of its problems. Unfortunately, this is a horror film without interesting characters or satisfying kills which makes for a very dull experience. Do not accept this party invitation.
Monster Party is now on VOD platforms from RLJE.
Released by Eli Roth’s label The Horror Section last year, Joe Begos (VFW, Christmas Bloody Christmas) horror movie Jimmy and Stiggs is getting an official spinoff movie.
Variety reports that director Sebastián De Caro has acquired the Argentine spin-off rights to Jimmy and Stiggs from The Horror Section, and he’s not planning a straight up remake.
“The film will follow new characters facing the same extraterrestrial threat in Argentina, expanding the universe Begos created into new territory,” Variety details in their report.
Eli Roth and Joe Begos will Executive Produce the upcoming spinoff movie.
“Working with Eli Roth and Joe Begos is an incredibly exciting adventure,” De Caro said. “Jimmy and Stiggs struck me as a brilliant kind of madness — it blew my mind with its energy and humor — and the chance to expand that universe in my own country is the biggest creative challenge I’ve ever taken on.”
Eli Roth said in a statement shared by Variety this afternoon, “Horror is truly global, and any story can be applied to local culture. I cannot wait to see how this film honors and expands the universe of a wildly original film by the one and only Joe Begos.”
Meanwhile, you can watch Joe Begos’ Jimmy and Stiggs on Digital outlets now. The drug-fueled, neon-soaked alien invasion splatterfest is written and directed by Begos, who shot the film in his apartment during the pandemic.
A perfect storm of lousy news sees out-of-work filmmaker Jimmy spiral into a bender, during which he claims to have been abducted by aliens. Fearing their return, he contacts his old friend Stiggs to help him gear up for war. Begos stars alongside Matt Mercer (Contracted), practical alien puppets, and a whole lot of gore captured on 16mm film.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “The world needs more playful, gonzo small-scale-yet-apocalyptic horror films like Jimmy and Stiggs. It’s a movie that has constant tricks on display and perpetually sprays blood in the audience’s face, but there’s an earnest center to it all.”
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