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A Review of Murder Made Easy
Murder Made Easy delivers a horror invitation you don’t want to ignore…
Murder Made Easy, directed by David Palamaro and written by Tim Davis, first landed on the independent film scene in 2017. A twisted dinner party gone mad, the full-length feature garnered a lot of well-deserved attention. Fortunately, it finally got the widespread treatment it deserves, with a Blu Ray release by Scream Team releasing earlier this month. Now, fans can easily get their hands on this fun and ferocious film.
Murder Made Easy is a wild ride that boasts a great deal of suspense. The film builds tension as it guides you through the four courses of a fancy dinner party. I especially appreciated the dark sense of humor, with biting wit that often mitigated some truly uncomfortable moments of tension. Like the food on its menu, Murder Made Easy is well seasoned with fleeting moments of disturbing violence and gore. Never gratuitous, the filmmakers know exactly how to use horror to drive home a very well paced game of cat and mouse, mixing all of these ingredients together to create a truly unsettling yet enjoyable horror dish.
This film pays great homage to Hitchcock’s POV shots and directorial eye for unease. Palamaro’s shots are noticeably long, building tension slowly as the camera seamlessly follows characters through long single cuts that add so much of the overall claustrophobic feel of the film. Also, Davis’s writing calls to some of the great mystery writings, reminiscent of Agatha Christie in its ability to create truly deplorable character studies as a means to create real-life horror.
The plot itself is best kept a secret, as it is all of the twists and turns that make the story so much fun. But, without giving too much away, it is safe to say that every actor in this film does a great job of bringing his or her loathsome character to life. Whether it is Cricket, the hippie vegan friend, or Marcus, the failed actor/professor most of us will recognize someone we know in these characters. This makes it even more difficult the audience, as you will find yourself not sure who you are rooting for as most of the academia-obsessed snobby hipsters do a great, if not deliberately over the top job of getting under your skin. I especially enjoyed the performance of Michael by Christopher Soren Kelly. He was like the Patrick Bates of modern academics, and I found myself simultaneously charmed and repulsed by his calculated and very aloof manner. I wasn’t sure if he was going to read me his dissertation thesis or murder me to a Mozart piece. But either way, like the movie itself, it would be a fun, albeit dark, time.
Pick up your copy of Murder Made Easy from Scream Team Releasing here!
Marissa Pona
10 Best Winter Horror Kills
Welcome to Another JG Top 10 List. It's been awhile, but what better what to combat the winter blues and cabin fever than with a winter horror marathon. So, check out our 10 best snowy, wintry kills
Marissa's Ones to Watch- Daughters of Virtue
What’s up, everyone? Marissa here, bringing you the best of off the beaten path and independent horror. Today, I’m going back to the indie well, where we usually find the most innovative, gruesome, and thematically relevant horror out there. And today’s pick is no exception. Daughters of Virtue is an amazing short film that will undoubtedly be tearing up the film festival circuits as word of this film gets out.
Review of Machine Baby
Machine Baby reminds us of why horror matters…
Horror, as a film genre, is not habitually associated with high brow filmmaking. Nor is it properly credited for its subversive attention to relevant cultural themes. In fact, the genre often goes without its due credit when it comes to creating cutting-edge art.
2017 Amazon Roulette of Horror
Marissa, Jacki and Nate grind through 31 Days of Amazon Horror Films!
Day 31: Cruel
Well we made it. 31 days of 31 randomly picked movies. It was a long road and I for one am proud of myself and fellow Ghouls for not going to the Amazon headquarters and raising it to the ground.
Day 30: Anna Scream Queen Killer
Well here we are. My final movie for this month of torture and appropriately my send off is a torture/found footage film. Oh and before we get too far, I used my veto finally.
Day 29: House of Good & Evil
Well, I have made it to my final pick for the month. The Amazon Wheel of Horror Doom chose 2013’s House of Good and Evil. This film did well on the indie horror film circuit, and I can see why.
Day 28: Evil Unleashed
On the set of the television show, The Seance Hour, something spooky is happening. An unknown and presumably evil entity is making its way into the studio. On today's show, Madame Camille will host a seance with a group of people, including a professor/priest who is rumored to have murderer.
Day 27 Den of Darkness
Well, we're almost at the end of our little experiment and I wish I could say there's been some winners but these movies have almost all ranged from pretty bad to awful. This film definitely did not break the mold, in fact it's probably one of the most insipid, moronic movies I've ever seen.
Day 26: Tales of Halloween
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 horror film by Alex Nicol, a director and actor who seemed to have a decent career through the late 50’s and 60’s. And I tried. I really did. But in order to hold my attention, a black and white older film has to be good. VETO TIME, I watched Tales of Halloween instead.
Day 25: Blonde Ice
At first glance at the title, I was sure that I was in for a cheesy tits and ass low budget horror movie. Boy was I surprised. Unfortunately, this wasn't a horror movie, but it was a black and white film noir from 1948.
Day 24: Terror Vision
Terrorvision is a 1986 B-Horror movie parody that probably comes the closest to something I would have watched as a kid. First of all, that poster is great. It's simple, yet effective.
Day 23: The Midnight Matinee
I have never uttered these words before, but is Halloween over yet? That’s right, Amazon Prime horror has effectively made me question everything I thought I knew about myself and my love of the genre.
Day 22: A Haunting on Gabriel Street
Logan is said to have died from radiation poison. His sister and his friend do not believe it so they drive to California to find the truth. And you know what, how about we bring a camera along to document it all.
Day 21: The Grave
Welp, yet again we come across a movie that is improperly labeled by the movie sorting robots at Amazon. The Grave isn't a horror movie or a comedy movie, yet it is tagged as both.
Day 20: Number 13
Oh BBC, you so classy. That’s right, it’s time for a made-for-TV BBC short film. And boy, does this film not feel very short at all. This little gem is a 40-minute adaption of the MR James short story of the same name.
Day 19: Curse of the Faceless Man
It's 1958 and archaeologists are excavating the ruins of Pompeii. While one man is working and brushing through the debris a hand emerges from the ashes. For some strange reason he decides to touch the hand
Day 18: The Magnificent Dead
The Magnificent Dead is an ultra low-budget/horror/western/vampire/zombie movie thing. It's about a town that has a conflict with a local rancher and decides to hire some gunmen from a town nearby to fight for them
Day 17: Frankenstein's Army
Today’s pick was the 2013 found-footage Dutch-American film by Richard Raaphorst, Frankenstein’s Army. The 1st person perspective only weighs the film down.
Day 16: The Mind Snatchers
Once again, Amazon has given me a movie from the horror section that is not a horror movie. At least in this one from 1972, I get a baby Christopher Walken.
Day 15: The Three Faces of Terror
3 Faces of Terror is an Italian anthology film in the vein of movies like Creepshow and Trick 'R Treat. The wrap-around story deals with 3 people on a train
Day 14: Hollows Grove
Whelp, it’s almost halfway to Halloween, and we are still moving along. Tonight’s pick is Hollows Grove, a 2014 straight to “video” found footage film.
Day 13: Hip Hop Locos
Not only is this movie terrible, it is also not a horror movie. So thanks for that, Amazon. Text pops up at beginning. It reads “On the night of 2/20/01, two Latino rappers decided to break into the Hip Hop industry.
Day 12: Exorcism of Darkness
Exorcism of Darkness is a short film by Fruit-chan, director of the disgusting, yet compelling Dumplings, about a 'villain hitter' who has a run in with a vengeful spirit.
Day 11: Uninvited
What’s up everyone? Marissa here, and I’m excited to say that tonight’s pick actually wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it good, but, compared to some of the movies we have watched it's a masterpiece.
Day 10: Demons at the Door
Holy crap, where do I even start with this one. At best, this is the final project of a really talented 15 year old in a film class. Except it’s not. Because some adult sat down with an idea for this movie and wrote it.
Day 9: Dead Sleep
Dead Sleep is about Maggie Healey, a woman who gets a nursing job in a psychiatric clinic, where a doctor is secretly giving shock treatments to people placed in drug induced comas in order to try and cure their depression.
Day 8: Blood Reunion
The plot actually starts out with a promising premise: a girl heads home to investigate her mother's death, only to find out her mother is a vampire. The problem is, they decided to cast the worst actors possible
Day 7: Magic Mushrooms
This German film was made in 2009 and distributed by Troma. It was written, produced, directed and starring Crippler Criss and Werner Timm. It was hands down the worst movie I have ever seen. Welcome to my veto.
Day 6: Combat Shock
Combat Shock is about Frankie, a man utterly and completely broken. He is haunted by flashbacks of the horrors he witnessed as a soldier in the Vietnam war. Everything in Frankie's life is in bad shape.
Day 4: Dark Flight
Years ago, New (Marsha Wattanapanich) was a young flight attendant on a flight that became the stuff of nightmares. Without explanation, all of the passengers and crew began to act crazy...
Day 3: Loony in the Woods
Loony in the Woods is a British movie filmed in the mid 2000s by Leo Leigh (a.k.a. Leo Bill). He might look familiar to some of you; He's had small roles in movies such as 28 Days Later...
Day 2: The Monster Walks
What's up, everyone? Marissa here, and, well, I have to admit I'm a little nervous about what kind of junk horror movies the wheel is going to throw my way. Fortunately, my first movie wasn't too bad.
Day 1: Young Hannah
Hey Everybody! Jacki here and I will be kicking off our month long Amazon movie reviews! Tonight we start with...Hannah, Queen of the Vampires (*aka Crypt of the Living Dead)
Why Christmas Horror Works
While some bask in the warmth of this happy, holiday time of year, horror fans are busy enjoying some of the best frights the genre has to offer. And, fortunately, horror never takes a holiday.
I Baked Him a Cake - Short Film Review
I Baked Him A Cake is a 5-minute horror short directed by Vanessa Ionta Wright and written and produced by Samantha Kolesnik. The film stars Fleece as Mother and Lillian Gray as her daughter, Lenora.
A New Year- A New Ghoul
I’ll admit it, I’m one of those people: The book was better. I hate remakes. Hollywood is out of ideas. I can’t stand that actor so I’m not even going to bother seeing that movie. Why did they cast that actor, that is not how I imagined them in my head when I was reading the book; why can’t Hollywood read my mind!
4 Horror Films to Beat the Holiday Blues
Merry Holidays, Ghouls. Halloween is over. For the rest of the world, this means turning off the horror movies, putting away the spooky decorations, and embracing the warmth of the season. Not us, not ever!
Jersey Ghoul's 100 Likes Giveaway
Happy November. Tis the season... for giveaways! Please head over to our Facebook page, give us a like, and make sure to tell us your favorite horror film. When we reach 100 likes we will be giving away a Jersey Ghouls horror goodie pack. It's chock full of Jersey and horror themed goodies.
The Jersey Ghoul's 31 Days of Horror
Over on our Facebook page we are picking one horror movie a day in the month of October. We'll tell you about it and why we love it. Here is the list so far...
Welcome to Jersey Ghouls
Hi boys and ghouls,
We are thrilled to be recording our first podcast, and will be posting a special Halloween-themed live vlog soon!