Christopher plans to spend Halloween alone with his cat watching movies when he happens across an invitation to a Halloween party. Bored and lonely, he decides to show up to the "Murder Party" in a warehouse in a scary part of town. On arrival, he finds that the party is a trap, set by a group of art students who plan to murder a random stranger. The students tie him up, and Christopher has until midnight to try and escape or become part of their grisly art project.
He brought treats.
Murder Party is an independent film, written, directed and shot by Jeremy Saulier (director of %Hold the Dark and Green Room). It was released in 2007 and stars Macon Blair (Hold the Dark, Green Room, and I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore) as Macon, one of the crazed art students.
The helmet.
Chris Sharp, who plays Christopher is adorable in his homemade cardboard knight's costume (I would definitely let somebody who'd gone to that kind of effort come to my Halloween party, especially if they made homemade pumpkin bread, though I also wouldn't murder them). The costumes are imaginative and well designed, including Lexi (Stacy Rock) who is dressed as Pris from Bladerunner.
In spite of the film's tight budget, the visual effects look pretty good, in an over the top '70s/80's slasher movie way (they do not skimp on the corn syrup). The performances are solid, and the dialogue made me laugh out loud a few times. It pokes fun at the art scene as well as the horror genre itself in a way that's a bit more subtle than outright parodies like the Scary Movie franchise.
The aftermath.
Murder Party is a quirky Independent horror film which makes for a fun night in if you don't want to risk going out on Halloween (or any other night) and have a good supply of popcorn and candy on hand.