Wow, I thought Bad Times at the El Royale was violent, wait until you see Monster Party as this film delivers more psychotic killing and mania for even a devoted horror enthusiast. The film gets so gruesome and cringing that if you are even a bit squeamish you’ll probably have to turn your eyes away from this intense flick. However, if you are a big fan of the slicing and dicing genre, then join the party. Now available as home video on Blu-ray and DVD.
Casper (Sam Strike) Iris (Virginia Gardner) and (Brandon Micheal Hall) Dodge are a crack home robbery team that gets into a house quickly no matter the security, takes what they want and leave no evidence. Using smart techniques mastered by Casper that can disable a home alarm, able to open a lock as good as Dodge and with Iris’s expert look-out techniques, the threesome have made some decent scores.
The next job will be a big take if they can pull it off, but it is very dangerous due to the intricacies of the plan. It’s at a house party where Iris has been working for a catering group that needs service help for the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The owners are rich beyond belief and with Casper’s safecracking ability, the will have no problem walking out with a lot of valuables.
They get to the Dawson home and are met by Roxanne (Robin Tunney), the wife of the host Patrick (Julian McMahon). Also at the home is their daughter Alexis (Erin Moriarty) and son Elliot (Kian Lawley). Arriving later is Psychologist Milo (Lance Reddick), a special guest who has brought his rehab patients Becca (Sofia Castro), Oliver (Diego Boneta), Jeremy (Jamie Ward) and Cameron (Chester Rushing). With the group all present the party begins with Patrick giving a welcoming toast to the group who have completed another year free of their addiction. Or so you are lead to believe, until things start to take a turn for the worse.
Writer and director Chris von Hoffmann does a terrific job of setting up the plot, getting all the characters introduced and then dropping everything into a bloody stew. From here on out it gets quite predictable on what may happen next, but the script is so well written that knowing there’ll be bodies is one thing, but not knowing who and why and where makes the film compelling enough to enjoy the ride.
The acting by the up and coming cast is very good under the direction of von Hoffmann who really puts his characters in some very precarious situations. I like Sam Strike as the techno smart protagonist Casper who has agreed to do the job because of a situation in which his father put himself. Not only does he have to deal with danger he’s in at the party, but also with his dad in the clutches of the boss of a strip club. As Iris, Virginia Gardner really puts a lot of energy in her character. She’s not only the decoy on the home robberies, but in the middle of their biggest job ever, it’s her actions that will become a life or death decision for the trio of thieves.
Rounding out the acting as Dodge, Brandon Micheal Hall does a good job of bringing his character to the screen. He’s cautious about attending the party, especially since it is in a luxurious home with a camera network. However, when an incident happens at the dinner table that evening Elliot Dawson singles him out as vengeance for his embarrassment. Standing up to the aggressive son is one thing, but dealing with his addiction becomes deadly.
Monster Party has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains language, drug use, nudity, sexual comments, offensive rap lyrics, violence, and gore. The gruesome violence is similar to Friday the 13th, Psycho, Hostel and many more. The film should be seen by mature adults only.
FINAL ANALYSIS: If you can’t get enough of the genre, it’s your cup of “gore”. (3.5 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: Sam Strike, Virginia Gardner, Brandon Micheal Hall, Kian Lawley, Robin Tunney, Julian Mcmahon, Robin Tunney, Erin Moriarty, Chester Rushing, Jamie Ward
Directed and written by: Chris von Hoffmann
Genre: Horror, Mystery Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 29 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains language, drug use, nudity, sexual comments, offensive rap lyrics, violence, gore
Original Theatrical Release: November 2, 2018
Video Release Date: December 18, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio
Video: 16×9 Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: RLJE Films
Released Formats: DVD, Blu-ray
