Vicious Fun (2020) – Movie Review
1st July 2021 Written by Peter Walkden
Set in the 1980s, Joel (Even Marsh) is a film critic and magazine writer passionate about all relating to the genre of horror. But life for Joel in the present day is quite a disappointing one. In his most recent interview, he provides his own opinion and an idea for a fun horror movie, which gets brushed off and ignored. In addition, he currently has a sweet crush on his fellow roommate, who wants nothing to do with him no matter how kind and considerate he is towards her. One evening, Joel discovers that his roommate is seeing someone. So naturally, Joel gets jealous and decides to follow the stranger, wanting to know what makes him so much better than himself. It also helps Joel in his creative process, and he takes audio notes for what could be his next best plot idea for a horror film.
But for Joel, things are about to get a lot more crazy and insane. Joel finds himself at a local bar and gets drunk. His night of hardcore drinking comes to an end with him vomiting all over a public telephone and passing out in a nearby room all alone. When he wakes up, he soon finds the bar now contains serial killers sitting in a circle having a group therapy session. Joel has no choice but to sit down and pretend to be someone he’s not. Can Joel blend in with the group of wanted serial killers, or will his true identity be revealed to the group who are all on edge to commit their next bloody kill?
To cut to the chase, Vicious Fun is a downright fun film. It’s witty, bloody and filled with many surprising moments on screen. It’s a horror film which I feel hasn’t been done before, and it’s filled with a fun freshness that put a smile on my face right from the start. The plot is also unpredictable, especially when Joel finds himself in a room of serial killers.
Performances here are great, and the actors playing the serial killers are wild and, again, fun. Each killer has a different trait or set of crazy skills, making the film quite entertaining. For the most part, the pacing is excellent, but I can’t deny that things slow down in the second act. But, don’t worry, the film picks up again rather quickly and once again becomes a movie that delivers a good time. As the film is set in the 80s, movie lovers are also greeted with a soundtrack which I found was a blast right from the start. That, and I’m simply a sucker for anything from the ’80s. The inclusion of many references from well-known horror films was fun too.
Overall, I had a great time with this film. It’s funny, random, wild, violent and bloody. Nothing about Vicious Fun was ever predictable, and performances in the film were also fun. Additionally, we have a soundtrack from the ’80s, which only put an even bigger smile on my face. For the most part, the pacing is excellent, but the film does slow down ever so slightly before the third and final bloody showdown. All these factors combined will leave audiences wanting more films just like this one.
8.2/10
Vicious Fun (2020) is Now Available on Shudder!
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