Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Vicious Fun’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Vicious Fun’.

Ask any fan of fantasy, science fiction or comic book stories which fictional world they would like to live in… and you’ll get quite the enthusiastic answer. Because fans of those genres have thought long and hard about that very question on their own time and that’s helped them to figure out exactly what part of Middle Earth they want to live in, or whether they’d like to hang with the Justice League or the Avengers and whether or not the Enterprise or the Voyager is their ship of choice from a science fiction standpoint. But what is fascinating about that all-important question, is that you get a supremely different answer from horror fans.

Because while fans of scary stories enjoy everything the genre has to offer through and through, they all understand that the world that the Philadelphia Four inhabited in Dawn of the Dead, isn’t all that great and that being chased by a bloodthirsty Jason Voorhees would likely suck and suck hard. Which is why those very fans often talk about places they would rather visit from those movies instead, since horror stories really are far too dangerous to want to reside in. But it does leave to wonder, what it would look like if a horror fan was indeed caught up in one of the many terrifying worlds that the genre offers and it just so happens that a brand-new feature on Shudder, explores that possibility in Vicious Fun.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a writer named Joel who is uh… in a bit of a holding pattern. Because despite the fact that he gets to write about horror movies all day long for the magazine Vicious Fanatics, and has a stable home life with a cute roomie that is basically his dream girl, he just feels unfulfilled and would love to have more impact on the horror genre and some excitement in his life and well, one day one of wishes comes true in the worst possible way. For a chance encounter with his roommate’s jerk of a date, leads him to drink heavy and pass out, and when he awakens… he finds himself in the company of a group of serial killers who have gathered for a self-help session and now it will be up to his extensive horror knowledge and an ally in his midst to survive the night. Because it is only a matter of time before these killers come to understand that Joel is no mass murderer.

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Which is a plot that you will notice, is about as lighthearted and fun as it gets and there’s good reason for that. For this is, at its core, a horror/comedy and a damn fine one at that. Because this movie really does offer the perfect balance of laughs and chills, a feat that it accomplishes by way of flawless comedic timing in the grossest and craziest situations imaginable and it doesn’t hurt that it features the perfect cast for this type of film as well. Because David Koechner and Julian Richings do a wonderful job of juxtaposing what this movie stands for from a thematic standpoint and the wonder of this movie doesn’t end with its ability to make us laugh and make us cringe on a moment’s notice. Because this is a movie that also serves as a love letter to the genre and fans in general.
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Because this is a throwback movie in many ways, since it is set in 1983 and filled with the hard light and neon love from that era, which immediately takes one back to their first horror experience and the majesty of discovering this brightly colored and gory genre and speaking of that gore, there’s plenty of it to be found here as well. Since serial killers equate to splatter and the kills here are simply top notch and ooey and gooey to the max. But truly, the best part about this movie and its tributes… is Joel himself. For he is all of us, and knows the genre as well the rest of us do and his journey makes it clear to us that we would likely do just fine if we were plunged into a horror story, since we know how they work and all we have to do to make it out alive; is be brave, and stick to our horror training. 

If anything, this is simply a delightful motion picture through and through. Because not only does it offer up a wonderful sense of nostalgia with its 80s visuals and synth powered soundtrack, but it also provides the viewer with a genuinely original plot. For this reviewer is hard pressed to think of another horror/comedy out there where the main character has to hang out with serial killers and lie about being one in order to survive. So really, in the end, if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted horror film, one that puts a smile on your face and doesn’t require a heck of a lot of thought on our modern world and it current state… then log into Shudder post-haste and give Vicious Fun a look. Because this really is one refreshing horror flick.

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