“Love is for losers anyway.”
Mimi-Psycho Goreman
There have been several takes on the slasher genre. It’s the easiest to make fun of and the hardest to get right. Totally Killer did a great job earlier this year of spoofing and staying respectful of the genre. I’ve mentioned it before. I’m a sucker for this genre, especially when it’s done right.
The year is 1983, and a small-time horror journalist, Joel, is out to prove his roommate’s love interest isn’t what he seems. Joel follows Dave to a seedy bar on the other side of town, where he gets wasted. He passes out in a broom closet and wakes up to find everyone is gone except a support group for serial killers.
I love this premise. It’s unique, and the humor is misdirection instead of a straight-up spoof. Evan Marsh, who plays Joel, does a great job. He’s a mixture of Marty McFly and Randy from Scream. He’s both clueless but also loveable. The rest of the cast is also fantastic. Amber Goldfarb plays Carrie, a tough-as-nails assassin who might have a heart of gold. The rest of the killers are so much fun. Ari Millen is the leader of the killers. His character, Bob, is a Teddy Bundy type, and he plays up his despicableness perfectly.
Director Cody Calahan has made a few horror films before Vicious Fun, but from what I can tell, this is his most complete outing. Calahan blends comedy and horror effortlessly. The dialogue is quick and natural. There are some great one-liners. The horror elements are both tense, and there is more than enough gore. The effects are done well, too.
My main critique of the film is that the sudden shift in location doesn’t feel necessary. If they wanted to introduce more people for the killers to off, it could have been done a little cleaner. The climax was predictable, but it was fun.
Vicious Fun is both vicious and fun. Director Cody Calahan does a superb job mixing humor and horror. The cast is excellent, and Evan Marsh was cast perfectly as the lead. I love how the film subverts the final girl trope with a final boy. Ari Mullin as Bob is menacing, handsome, and hilarious. I didn’t love the sudden location flip, but the brutal climax was awesome.
Rating: 7.5/10
