Directed by Josh Forbes, Destroy all Neighbors is an off-the-wall horror-comedy, bursting at the seams with a perfectly-balanced brew of hilarity, blood, guts and other associated gore. With a team of writers lead by none other than Bob’s Burgers very own Mike Benner, the movie has a comedic style that almost took my attention away from the terribly bad – but purposely so – horror elements.
Destroy all Neighbors – Storyline
Struggling with a lack of inspiration, William Brown (Jonah Ray) has been working on the same progressive rock album for three years. When his friend moves out from the next door apartment, William finds himself with a new neighbor, going by the name of Vlad. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Vlad is set to be a neighbor from hell.
Over the following few days, William becomes constantly disturbed from his work by music loud enough to wake the dead and a series of bangs, screams and grunts coming through his wall from next door. Not being a confrontational man (and a bit of a chicken), William is reluctant to approach Vlad to tell him to keep the noise down until eventually – when all other options have been exhausted – he calls around to see him, knees knocking all the way.
Not being one to bow to the wishes of others, Vlad refuses to turn his music down and the two end up in a scuffle that sees the accidental death of William’s new neighbor. Panicking and driven by the advice of an old hero of his that appears in videos on his phone, William attempts to butcher the body to make it easier for disposal. However, Vlad is a man that refuses to die and certainly not one to let his own decapitation get in the way.
Destroy all Neighbors is Reminiscent of Brain Dead
Brain Dead is one of those movies that stays with the viewer forever after viewing once. Its bizarre comedy elements mixed well with the over-the-top cheesy gore scenes that looked so shoddily put together that were actually the disguised ingenuity that made the movie what it is; giving gives people a reason to talk about it, decades later.
Destroy all Neighbors follows the same successful formula to bring the innovative idea into modern day cinema and proves that comedy mixes with horror like Jack Daniels mixes with Coca Cola. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a very niche brand of horror but for those that enjoy it, it’s rarely there to be enjoyed. In a world of cutting-edge visual effects, serious scripts and blood curdling scares, these quirky takes on horror are sadly as rare as hens’ teeth.
Destroy all Neighbors is One Hell of a Ride
At just 85 minutes, Destroy all Neighbors is the type of movie you can enjoy without having to dedicate too much time to it. The brevity of the movie also makes for a quick pace with no drawn out dialogue-heavy scenes to take focus away from the utter madness of the movie, it felt like I had been sat watching for half the time I actually had.
Destroy all Neighbors – Summary
If you’re quite happy with a little silliness with your horror, or enjoyed the likes of Brain Dead, Destroy all Neighbors is the perfect choice. The movie is about delivering fun as opposed to the usual scares or visually realistic gore and this is why I loved it. It was also great to see Alex Winter back in front of the camera as he steps into the beautifully outrageous role of the main antagonist.
