As ‘Scream’ already demonstrated at the time, the slasher It is a genre that lends itself like no other to exploit its most humorous side. And if you splash it on top of social satire on social networks and elements of mysteries in the purest Agatha Christie styleit comes out ‘Death, death, death’available on Movistar+.
likes and deaths
A group of twenty-somethings decide to celebrate a party in the secluded family mansion of one of them. As they take cover from a hurricane, they begin to play a game that will end up becoming deadlier than expected.
‘Death, death, death’ (‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’) is the second feature film as director by Halina Reijn (‘Instinct’) and is scripted by Sarah DeLappe from the story by Kristen Roupenian. A24 is in charge of production and in Spain it premiered directly on streaming in March 2023.
From the very beginning, the film appears to us as a satire: the characters are almost all rich kids addicted to social media and they try to represent the stamp of “friends forever” but, like any story of Instagram, it doesn’t take long to fade.
Even in its first chords, when we could still think that we are going to see an adventure closer to the genre teenagerit can be perceived that something is not going well: everyone seems to have something to hide, reproaches without verbalizing and their outbursts of privileged children are already putting the viewer in that mood so typical of the slasher in which You wait expectantly for someone to show up to give them what they deserve.
Yes, it is true that, regardless of whether they like them well or badly, the characters are well-constructed enough so that you do not care and arouse curiosity to know what they are really hiding.
In that sense, tape works great as whodunit and it is reminiscent of stories like Agatha Christie’s ‘Ten Little Blacks’, since an important part of the plot is that atmosphere of somewhat paranoid tension in which the characters are constantly suspicious of their companions.
As satire it raises interesting questions but without neglecting his most playful part as a slasher: full of disturbing deaths, moments of black comedy (watch out for that ending) and a devilishly entertaining pace.
All of this would not be possible without the dedicated cast, in which we have Maria Bakalova (‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’), amandla stendberg (‘The hate you give’), Rachel Sennott (‘Shiva Baby’), pete davidson (‘The King of the Neighborhood’), Lee Pace (‘Halt and Catch Fire’), Chase Sui Wonders (‘On the rocks’) and Myha’la Herrold (‘Modern Love’).
‘Death, death, death’ is a fun black comedy that works both as a slasher, as a social satire and even as a mystery story in which no one is what they seem. Definitely, one of the funniest horror movies released this year.
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