Vicious Fun (Shudder) [Movie Review]

Set in the 1980s, the Shudder original, Vicious Fun, follows Joel, a bumbling love-stuck film critic for a horror magazine. After a night of drinking, Joel finds himself trapped in a self-help group for serial killers. With no other choice, Joel attempts to blend in or risk becoming their next victim.

Set in the 1980s, the film’s opening grabs you right out the gate, with a quick twist that sets the movie in motion. The opening also introduces us to “Carrie,” the film’s female lead, played by Canadian actress Amber Goldgarb. After the opening sequence (that I won’t spoil), we are then introduced to our male lead, “Joel,” played by actor Evan Marsh, who is found critiquing a horror movie director on his latest film for his magazine’s article.

Vicious Fun demonstrates its playful nature by poking fun at classic slasher movie tropes while staying grounded within the confines of the films it’s making fun of. Between the intro and the following scenes, the editor sets up the tone, which is a fun-filled bloodbath.

The ensemble cast of murderous characters is led by comedic actor David Koechner, who acts as group leader of the self-help group of killers. The characters themselves are archetypes of classic horror films antagonists. There’s the charming sociopathic Chamaeleon, who can blend in with regular Society. The sorority/ campground slasher acts as more of a teen hunter. The cannibalistic stealthy assassin who can gain access to the most restricted areas to stalk his prey. The carefully calculated, meticulous, genius, clown-faced mad scientist. The secret covert government war criminal. And the black widow with a hidden agenda. The characters seem to have a history together and open up to one another about the problems they face with their murders and give one another insight on how to work through their issues.

Though it is a super low budget and full of plot holes, I found this film to be very enjoyable. Vicious Fun seemed to pull from a lot of different sources, at least from my perspective. For instance, the character of Carrie reminded me a lot of underground image comics, Hack/Slash’s Cassie Hack. Not sure if the writer/director is a fan, but Carrie comes across as the once final girl who now hunts serial killers, much like Cassie Hack.

The film itself has a feel of Smoking Aces meets Cop Shop with just a dash of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. The character of Joel reminds me a lot of classic ’80s horror comedic characters like Mark Kendall, played by Jim Carrey, in Once Bitten or Jeremy Capello, played by Robert Sean Leonard, in My Best Friend Is A Vampire.

If you happen to stumble upon this title on Shudder and you’re a fan of horror comedies, you’ll most likely have a good time consuming it.

I’d rate this a solid 7/10 just based on the likability of the characters and the excellent kills.

Director: Cody Calahan
Writer: James Villeneuve
Starring: Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet, David Koechner
Distributor: Shudder
Release Date: October 8, 2020 (Sitges)
Run Time: 101 minutes

Official poster for the film ‘Vicious Fun’

AJ Diaferio in 2022

AJ Diaferio is best known as the frontman for the hard rock band We’re Wolves. After garnering interest from millions of fans with their renditions of beloved active rock tracks, the group created their niche within heavy music with their debut album Evil Things. Aside from being the band’s fearless leader, AJ is a self-proclaimed horror enthusiast and movie memorabilia collector. It is evident that Diaferio’s fiery passion for movies and music is intertwined in every aspect of his work, making him a prime source for the latest in all things horror.

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