Alex Winter totally slays it in Destroy All Neighbors, a very twisted horror comedy about William Brown (Jonah Ray Rodrigues) trying to finish an album and all his apartment neighbours are rowdy. When all the noise is only adding to this musician’s neurosis, he’s eventually going to crack. Eventually, he takes matters into his own hands (hence the film title) and what happens next is utterly bonkers.
After one “accidental” death of Vlad (Winter), what he does next looks fairly typical for someone who’s finally gone over the edge. I haven’t loved such a film about guilt since American Werewolf in London. The characters whom Brown accidentally takes down are wonderfully wild. The strength in those performances sells this film, and the fun that goes on–whether imagined–totally goes downtown when they come back to life!
Whether it’s all in Will’s imagination or not, I suspect only Emily (Kiran Deol) knows. And by the time the narrative brings her back, just how she responds to the brutal slayings says it all! As for why this guy gets accepted by these ghouls who have done nothing but “be nice,” it’s tough to say. There’s a bit of inconsistency since it seems like he hates this crowd, but I can run with it.
That this work really channels all that fun vibe from Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II says it all, and it’s worth a view. It’s a feel-ghoul time for gorehounds and horror comedy fans alike.
4 Stars out of 5
Destroy All Neighbors Trailer
