An ensemble of bored, rich people with nothing to do but talk opera and engage in bizarre behavior invite a young couple to a bloody dinner. That’s pretty much what “The Dinner Party” serves up. Of course, the devil’s in the details.
Straight-laced playwright Jeff (Mike Mayhall) and his wife Haley (Alli Hart) are invited to a soirée by an oddball assortment of wealthy art-loving eccentrics. Reluctant Haley seems to sense there’s more to this invite than a five-star meal. Obsequious Jeff needs this dinner to go well to boost his career, so he’s all in until…well, we see more of him later in the film—much more.
Hosting the event is renowned surgeon and culinary enthusiast, Carmine Braun (Bill Sage). He conducts a Grays Anatomy-Master Chef course, stressing the epicurean delights of organs and tissues. His smooth southern drawl and easy manner put a deliciously evil accent on what’s to come. Later, his gentile manner takes a violent turn when Haley tries to escape. She’s eventually confronted by an evil Barney-Fife, Sheriff Brooks (Ritchie Montgomery).
Party greeter and jokester Sebastian (Sawandi Wilson) buries himself in the part, succeeding at once to be funny, silly, and threatening. He’s all about sex, blood, and ‘what’s on the menu.’ His transitions are fun to watch.
Serving up blood and kisses is mysterious, Elvira-esque Sadie (Lindsay Anne Williams) who plays an intriguing defacto cohost. She designs her own clothes and laces every seductive move with psychoanalytic bon-mots like ‘talking about one’s pain can cleanse the soul.’ Williams provides an homage-to-evil flavor, dispensing tarot cards and uttering incantations to an altar of mystical symbols.
Adding erotic spice to the evening is novelist Agatha (Kamille McCuin), a necro-sex addicted vixen who struts about half-naked, trying to seduce Haley. She writhes about her victims like an anaconda in heat, uniting carnal desire with blood lust.
And there’s abrasive Vincent, played by director Miles Doleac, who seems genuinely dissatisfied and bored with the goings-on. Waxing philosophical, he foreshadows what we can expect for dinner—and dessert.
One of the problems with “Dinner Party” is that you’ll go through a full bucket of popcorn before you get to the ‘party’ and ‘dinner.’ The film is just too talky. And the talk isn’t that interesting—if you’re not an opera fanatic, you’ll fall asleep or at least press ‘fast forward’ on your remote. There’s also no shortage of jump scares laced among the “been-there-done-that” supernatural rituals. That said, there are some surprises. Things do pick up toward the end to appease fans of this genre. But the film doesn’t fulfill the build-up and overall premise that could elevate it to the next level.
Mayhall plays his role per script—wooden and predictable. The good news is the Hart embraces her role with audacity, going beyond what the writers seem to have missed. She sinks her teeth into a melodramatic back-story via flashbacks, which doesn’t quite dovetail with the tongue-in-cheek performances of the rest of the cast. The affected macabre storyline seems to exist in its own ether. You begin to ask yourself, is this psychological drama or a bloody, sadistic scream flick?
Unlike the hysterically satisfying black humor in “Ready or Not,” “The Dinner Party” scores a near miss. The ending is like a three-course meal with the last course leaving you unsatisfied and still hungry.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
