Sometimes a movie comes together because of a series of moments and that is the very case with Destroy All Neighbors, a new horror comedy that works more as a visceral experience than a cohesive motion picture. That might sound like a dig but, in the moment, the film achieves what’s necessary to entertain the audience. It’s all a bit silly and over the top but the movie knows exactly what it is. While wearing its intentions firmly on its sleeve, the result is a rocking good time that offers up laughs with a dose of horrifically funny gore.
Guiding us through all of this ridiculousness is meek sound engineer William Brown (Jonah Ray Rodrigues), who has been struggling to finish a prog-rock album that he has been working on forever in his home studio. The creative block has messed with him psychologically and also caused a rift between him and his girlfriend Emily (Kiran Deol). More tension arises when a new neighbor moves in named Vlad (Alex Winter, completely unrecognizable), who resembles a troll on steroids as he spends his whole day lifting weights, destroying furniture, and blaring electronic dance music as if he’s at a rave. This leads to a confrontation between the two neighbors that results in a decapitated head, a resurrection of said head, and a series of other reanimated corpses that somehow become William’s new friends. Think of an even more twisted version of 1999’s Idle Hands.
Horror comedies can be difficult to get right because sometimes the blend of the genres doesn’t work. As directed by Josh Forbes, with a story by Charles Pieper and Mike Benner and a script by Pieper and Jared Logan, Destroy All Neighbors succeeds because it leans into its absurdity and has no illusions about how outlandish it all is. The more ridiculous things get, the more the film actually works and the audience finds themselves just enjoying the crazy ride.
The ride certainly does get crazy and the film does have fun with bending expectations. Once the confrontation between neighbors gets hilariously grisly, the audience is never sure if William is imagining the reanimated corpses that are now his buddies or if he’s gone off the rails and has become a serial killer due to the pressure of trying to complete his prog-rock album. The movie takes the issue of having a creative block and turns it into a bloody manifestation of what could happen if that creativity isn’t realized.
Speaking of music, particularly rock n’ roll, it’s at the heart of this horror film that recalls movies of the past that have utilized it to great effect. Heavy metal has been at the core of other cult horror films such as The Gate or Trick or Treat and this film continues that tradition, albeit, through the lens of progressive rock. It’s a music genre that is built on tempo changes and complicated riffs that is really loved but true fans of it while others find it polarizing. The movie finds itself in the former category as prog-rock is in the DNA of the project and it’s a badge that it wears proudly.
Even though the film works more when it’s displaying its visceral and silly pleasures, there are attempts at story beats that work. William is relatable because he’s trying to get his life together by prioritizing what matters as he deals with various conflicts that are thrown at him. The situation with the neighbor is on a growing list of issues and, surprisingly, the movie’s themes of mental health and managing it, resonate. That being said, the film’s main goal isn’t to be a character study and a lot of that takes a backseat to all the craziness that takes over. The project is full of impressive special effects and trippy visuals that take center stage and it’s best to just enjoy the attack on the sense’s that the film is offering.
Making all of this even more enjoyable are the performers. Jonah Ray Rodrigues hits all the right beats as William. The audience engages with him as a creative sad sack who is stuck in a rut as well as the unhinged personality who may or may not be a serial murderer. It’s a pitch-perfect performance that is more than adequately matched by Alex Winter as Vlad, who is clearly having fun in an unrecognizable and committed turn that will likely remind most fans of his 1993 cult film, Freaked. Other supporting turns include Randee Heller playing a building manager who takes pleasure in making William crazy by making him help her fix issues with the households and a fun cameo from Kumail Nanjiani as a refinery guard.
Destroy All Neighbors recalls the work Sam Raimi accomplished when he was first starting out making the Evil Dead movies. It’s a B-movie throwback that relishes in its absurdity and makes no qualms about what it actually is. It’s an homage to the splatter horror comedies that ruled the VHS era, thankfully done in the same old-school and practical way that should please genre fans.
Destroy All Neighbors is currently streaming on Shudder
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFiONDiRX5k]
Destroy All Neighbors recalls the work Sam Raimi accomplished when he was first starting out making the Evil Dead movies. It's a B-movie throwback that relishes in its absurdity and makes no qualms about what it actually is. It's an homage to the splatter horror comedies that ruled the VHS era, thankfully done in the same old-school and practical way that should please genre fans.
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Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.
