Murder University (2013)

Murder University (2012)

directed by:  Richard Griffin

starring:  Nick Apostolides, Samantha Acampora, David Adams Murphy, Dave Almeida, Jamie Dufault Michael Thurber



Format:  Personal Collection NTSC Region 1
Tagline:  "The Tuition Isn't the Only Thing That Will Kill You"

(out of 5)



    Nothing like having a bad day and sitting down to a good decapitation movie, or I mean slasher movie.  Richard Griffin's Murder University just really can't be described as solely a slasher film.  Yeah it had a guy in a mask running around killing people but this movie was much more than that story wise.  Well after the opening scene anyway I'm still a little confused on that and I rewound it a couple of times.  I just don't see how it fits in the movie.  Two couples investigating the Greensboro University murders go there to investigate.  Once at the house where the founder Charles Greensboro lived the two girls decide to murder the men and then the girls find the dead bodies get scared and get killed by the devil mask killer.  It was all very confusing but anywho on to the good stuff.
  One thing every independent movie must have in my opinion is a good story.  And here we have it.  Not going to go into a lot spoiler wise because frankly that's why I don't read reviews personally with few exceptions.  Anywho we follow Josh Greene (Jamie Dufault) who is picked on and beaten up at college especially by a bully named Loco played by Nick Apostolides.  Josh is part of the student body at Greensboro University a place with a bloody past involving the university's founder and the original house he lived in.  Now a series of murders much like those from the past have started up again and Josh has survived one of those attacks.  Only Detective Ray Forrester (Michael Thurber)can help Josh stay alive and figure out the case even after the Detective is taken off the case for being too crazy.  And crazy he is, by far my favorite character.  He and Josh bumble through murder after murder slowly picking up the pieces while Josh is trying to pick up Forrester's daughter who has

entered into the college as a student in order to investigate the deaths even further.  The twist ending for me made the movie.  I'd go into it but that's really not fair to the readers.  Let's just say it's not an overdone revenge slasher plot line.  Also the use of comedy for me was well done.  I really can't stand most indie horror comedies because to me it's easy to hide lack of talent writing wise and acting wise when you're being funny all the time.  Is that to say all comedies are that way.  Nope but I know that's why there are so many indie horror comedies.  It's easy to just say oh yeah I was trying to be funny.  However this was not the case here.  I found myself in stitches more than a couple of times.  

    The fx were great I really enjoyed the combo of practical fx and cgi fx.  The decapitations were a bit comical at times but the movie as a whole was a bit comical.  The kills looked real enough for the movie to be taken seriously.  So many indie filmmakers skip on the creation of good fx and try and pull off a good horror movie.  Well I don't think so and this movie certainly did not do that. 
     Acting wise people reviewed this movie as to having good acting.  Well it wasn't bad I'll go with that.  I really liked the old Detective and his daughter Meg played by (Samantha Acampora) also did a fine job but as far as the rest goes like I said not bad and I think that's all that needs said.  The main character for me was in and out.  One scene he would nail and the next well just kind of off.  
     Thanks to Mac Brewer for another great recommendation.  This movie had some really great things about it and nothing I really saw was bad at all.  Be looking for more from the director.