Pool Party Massacre

Director - Drew Marvick (Scared to Death)
Starring - Kristin Noel McKusick, Margaux Neme, and Destiny Faith Nelson (From the Inside Looking Out)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Worst pool party ever"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

 Rating (out of 5):

     I'm a sucker for a slasher film.  I'm an even bigger sucker for movie posters and artwork.  One of the best poster artists in the game right now is Marc Schoenbach and his Sadist Art label.  His posters are absolutely stunning and I mean that with every fiber in my being.  I'm friends with Marc through Facebook and frequent his Sadist Art Facebook page to check out the art and learn about new and upcoming films.  One such film that Marc did the artwork for that really got me excited to see was Drew Marvick's Pool Party Massacre.  The artwork is one of the best posters I have seen from Marc and easily one of the best for an indie production I've seen in recent years.  I reached out to Drew about the film and got to know him a little.  When the film was finally wrapped up and polished he was kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks Drew!
     The film follows a young girl who invites some friends over for a pool party while her family is out of town for a few days.  She is a very privileged girl and invites over her well-to-do friends along with a childhood friend who is more grounded.  They start bickering and cat fighting among themselves one one of the girls invites her boyfriend and his brother over even though she was instructed not to.  The group slowly starts to separate one by one and in true slasher fashion they are picked off by a power tools wielding maniac.  Which one of these spoiled brats will become the final girl and who is killing them?
     Pool Party Massacre is one I've been very excited for ever since I first saw the poster by Sadist Art.  It was fantastic and really stirred my imagination.  After finally seeing the film I can say that it is a must have for any slasher fan but this is typically not the type of film I watch.  I love movies that are gritty, grainy, and had no budget to work with.  PPM was not one of those films.  The film was very well polished and you can quickly tell that Marvick and company had their shit together.  The acting in this one is better than most of the no budget flicks I watch but there was a few scenes that felt a little off.  Most of the ladies cast in this film are meant to be spoiled, bratty, and bitchy.  They mostly pull this off but some of the scenes where the female characters are being harsh to one is awkward.  You can tell that these actresses are having a hard time at making this feel natural while other scenes are more natural.  I was surprised by Drew's big reveal.  He was very natural in front of the camera and one quick look at his imdb page made it evident that he knows what he is doing in front of the camera.  The story for this one is pretty straight forward and reminded me a lot of the classic 1982 slasher The Slumber Party Massacre  where the killer stalks a bunch of teenage girls with an industrial drill while they are home alone.  PPM uses a very similar story before setting itself apart from this film with the ending and the killer reveal.  This was fun and wrapped the film up in a nice little bow.  Sadly, there was a few scenes that just dragged on a bit too long but this did not really change my overall opinion of the film.  Finally, the film has several on screen kills that were nothing new or original but they still satisfied that desire that slasher fans have for blood.  These kills use solid practical effects, as well as, classic camera tricks and techniques to pull them off.  The effects are solid for the most part but some of the gags were lacking.  Overall, Pool Party Massacre is a fantastic tribute to the golden age of slashers.  If you like your women beautiful and your blood red then this film was made for you.  Check it out.