Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Destroy All Neighbors’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Jonah Ray Rodrigues and Alex Winter as William Brown and Vlad in in Josh Forbes’ DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS. (Photo Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Destroy All Neighbors’.
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One particular piece of advice that we all receive when we’re struggling in this life, or fighting for something we want, is to keep plugging away. Because there is a belief that keeping busy when times are tough or when we’re on the cusp of something we want, will help us get through them and/or help us get to our goal, and well, there really is merit to this line of thinking. Since we do find our minds cleared when we’re plugging away and sometimes… we find ourselves far closer to our goal than expected. But there is some trouble that accompanies this particular bit of advice. Because sometimes… the struggles we encounter are more than just something we can handle via busy work and sometimes… we need an assist in getting what we need in this life and that can make keeping one’s head down quite problematic.

Because then, big problems that need handling aren’t being dealt with in the slightest. Not to mention, we’re just spinning our wheels with our goal and that can lead to complete and utter disaster. Wherein our problems could blow up, our goals turn into failures, and we are left at a crossroads. Wherein we can either pick up the pieces and start over and do it right this time and learn the balance busy work provides… or simply just let failure take over and go places we shouldn’t. The kind that we hear about on the six o’clock news and don’t quite understand. Because to us, it doesn’t make sense that someone would ever just… ‘go nuts’ because of a few setbacks. But we are delicate creatures that want more and when we deeply fail in a frustrated fashion, we are indeed compelled to lash out, and well, in order to better understand and prevent this process in our own lives… we turn to stories. For they can show us the consequences of such matters and it just so happens, that a brand-new film on Shudder does just that in Destroy All Monsters.

A feat that this film accomplishes by introducing us to a man named William Brown who… isn’t dealing with anything in this life. For he hates his job, there’s distance in his relationship and the album he’s been working on is nowhere near done. But he keeps plugging away, because that’s what we are supposed to do in that situation, that is until… life gets tougher. For a noisy new neighbor and the loss of his job, and his relationship, pushes William to be more aggressive than ever before to have just a little slice of peace, and that prompts him to confront his neighbor in a manner… that is deadly. Changing William’s life forever and putting him on a maddening path where redemption and peace seem to be nothing more than fleeting dreams.

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Which is… the perfect way to explore how some people take a vastly different path when they stumble and fall in this life and see their dreams go the wayside and see their problems explode. Because we are exposed to that downward spiral in the raw.  But what matters more, is that this story takes the time to deeply explore the steps that could prevent the madness that William endures. Because if he ignored the generic advice, we are given about tough times… and dealt with his relationship, it would have been stronger. And if he handled matters with his noisy new neighbor in a bold way, he would have been fine. Making this story a grand tragedy of sorts, one that truly does play out often in this life because of how much we cherish that advice, and what’s amazing is that the wonder of this film doesn’t end there.
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Because this is also a horror comedy. Since William in essence becomes a serial killer before our eyes, one that cannot reconcile the guilt of what he’s done. Which brings about some wild hallucinations of those he’s claimed, the kind that bring about some gory and twisted moments and some genuinely funny ones too. Which makes the darkness of this film palatable and acceptable and helps us to learn the lesson at hand of dealing with our problems, and standing tall and claiming what we want in the right way. So that we find real happiness and real joy, and it’s quite satisfying that this message comes via the tenets of good horror. Yet, there’s still more to celebrate when it comes to this feature. Since it also harbors some magnificent performances.

For Jonah Ray Rodrigues truly shines as William Brown and sells his broken innocence in a manner that is earnest and tragic, and Alex Winter is simply aces as Vlad in this story, and as always, he is an outright chameleon and loses himself within the role. Plus, there are some big-time cameos in this film that delight and well, all of these elements come together to provide us, with an amazing horror comedy feature. One that has a lot to say about modern life, the struggles we face and how to properly handle them. All courtesy of some quality gore, and some hilarious moments that stay with you long after this movie has come to an end. But in a healthy manner, of course. Because no one needs Vlad screaming at you at two in the morning.

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Watch ‘Destroy All Neighbors’

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