Party Night

Director - Troy Escamilla (Mrs. Claus)
Starring - Ryan Poole (Black Pumpkin, Mrs. Claus), Tommie Vegas (Can I Kill You?, Virus of the Dead), and Billy Brannigan (Vegan Slashers, Gravedigger)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Try to make it until morning..."
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

  

    My horror binge has picked back up again after taking a few days off to help my wife deal with losing her brother.  Things were pretty crazy here for a few days but the dust is settling down and now I can enjoy some horror. I recently tossed in two werewolf flicks from Wild Eye Releasing.  The first was Bonehill Road, which I was not a fan of, and the other was the horror comedy The Snarling.  The second was by far my favorite of the two.  I was really enjoying myself checking out some no budget indie flicks so I went ahead and grabbed a few more Wild Eye flicks to checkout.  Next up is the 2017 slasher Party Night from Troy Escamilla.  Thank you Wild Eye for sending this one over!
     The film follows a group of high schoolers who decide to throw their own party on prom night.  One of them has an uncle out of town and his home is the perfect place to party it up.  However, what they don't count on is someone in a mask picking them off one by one in true slasher fashion.

     Party Night is one I first heard about a year or so ago and thought it looked fun.  I enjoy the poster for the film and how it was clearly a throwback to 80s slashers but I was confused when I didn't see this one pop up in horror groups.  Even the most hated horror films find their ways into these groups just so people can bash them.  The fact I had never seen anyone post about it, aside from reviewers getting copies in for review, was a bit baffling.  Either way, I was excited for this one.  The movie wasn't as awesome as the poster but I can't say I hated it.  Just a little disappointed.  The acting in this one is decent in some of the scenes and in others I was struggling to pay attention.  The cast seemed to be having fun with this one but there is several scenes where they struggle through the scenes.  During these scenes it's almost as if they are just reading their lines without dedicating themselves to the role.  The story for this one almost works for a slasher but I have more questions than I have answers.  My favorite slashers take place in the woods or in a secluded cabin and this film takes us there but their reasoning leaves me scratching my head.  It's prom night and this group of high schoolers (that look older for their age) decide to ditch the after party to party and the one dude's uncle's house who is out of town?  It's kind of a stretch even for a no budget slasher. I don't want to spend the day picking the story apart but it was clearly meant to be a throwback to the slashers of the 80s and couldn't pull it off.  Finally, the film has some fun kills that scream slasher.  They may not be gory but they work for those of us that love those early 80s slashers.  Overall, Party Night may not be the best slasher to come out in the last 10 years but it does have it's moments.  Check it out if you want something knew but don't expect something that will redefine the sub-genre.