#horribly funny / serial killers / violence / intertextuality / blood / numerous deaths / parody / 1980s / VHS / humour / slasher / 

VICIOUS FUN

horror, comedy / Canada / 2020 / 1h 41 min

“Hi, my name is Joel, and I promise not to complain about horror film clichés anymore!”

It’s the 1980s, and Joel is a clumsy, not too bright, and completely harmless journalist specializing in horror movies who probably has something in common with all of us: he dislikes well-worn scripts, clichés, and predictable behaviors of characters in horror films. One day, driven by a hopeless fascination, he ends up in a bar, where, in a twist of fate, he gets knocked out… drunk, for now. When, a few hours later, he wakes up in the broom closet with a massive hangover, he does not yet realize that this evening’s head count will far exceed his acceptable limits. The place he is stuck in serves after hours as a hangout for a support group for psychopathic murderers. What is worse, the participants mistake our guy for the new member of their circle. Joel has no choice but to blend in – how could he refuse to take his seat between a two-meter-tall aficionado of murdering summer camp attendees and a disturbing accountant with a clown fetish? When first guts are spilled on the barroom floor, our hero will find out just how much common sense he can maintain when he himself becomes the main character of scenes straight out of a horror movie. Obviously, it doesn’t go too well. Fortunately, Carrie – a serial killer of serial killers – comes to his aid.

“Vicious Fun” is a light and enjoyable comedy-horror that casually toys with the themes and atmosphere of popular horror flicks. Behind the camera, Cody Calahan – director of such films as “Bed of the Dead,” “Let Her Out,” “Exit Humanity,” or “The Oak Room” – is equally eager to make fun of the genre premises of classic slashers as he is to sink into them. His way of tinkering with cinematic tropes offers an excellent pace of action and a lot of knowing winks, which will allow us to relax amid the festival’s fear and terror. The strongest points of his film are the hilariously clumsy Joel, the highly exaggerated facial expressions of Bob – this guy is a walking parody of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” – and the friendly chemistry linking the two main characters. Palpable love for underground magazines, VHS tapes, and the colorful kitsch of the 80s make for extra charm.

directed by: Cody Calahan
screenplay: Cody Calahan and James Villeneuve
starring: Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet, and others
cinematography: Jeff Maher
editing: Mike Gallant
music: Steph Copeland
language: English
subtitles: Polish

WORLD PREMIERE: Sitges Film Festival 2020

Age restriction: 18+