Vicious Fun Review

Cody Calahan’s Vicious Fun will largely be remembered for its untapped potential. The movie has a promising premise: A film critic accidentally stumbles into a self-help group for serial killers. Despite having an original and humorous idea though, Vicious Fun never takes full advantage of it. What we get is a fairly lackluster and formulaic addition to the horror genre. Even still, the movie has its moments.

Vicious Fun begins with an incredibly engaging and mysterious opening scene that concludes with an unexpected twist. Likewise, the film’s final scene is well-executed, wrapping the movie up nicely. The film’s neon lighting and dark synthwave soundtrack help immerse the audience into its 1980s aesthetic. Joel (Evan Marsh), the film’s main character, is relatively likable and relatable, making him easy to root for. Moreover, Ari Millen’s (The Oak Room) performance as the deranged serial killer Bob is thoroughly entertaining. Finally, while the comedy doesn’t always land, Vicious Fun contains several comedic moments that are genuinely funny.

Two of the biggest problems with Vicious Fun are its story and pacing. The movie is frustrating to watch at points because of its wasted potential. This is even more disappointing considering the movie’s strong start. What begins as an intriguing horror-comedy quickly devolves into a predictable action-slasher film. Writers James Villeneuve and Cody Calahan had the opportunity to create a wholly unique story, but it feels like they settled for the ordinary. Vicious Fun barely scratches the surface of its own premise. The film only devotes around 15 minutes to the group therapy scenes. It’s clear this wasn’t the focus of the movie, but it really should have been.

In essence, Joel and Carey (Amber Goldfarb) are caught in a ‘kill or be killed’ scenario against the serial killers. While this provided some thrills, seeing Joel progressively infiltrate the group whilst the serial killers remained active in his area would have been way more compelling to watch. Too, the film is severely weakened after Joel and Carey arrive at the police station, where the film spends an excessive amount of time. The movie’s pacing tremendously slows, the story becomes dull and predictable, and much of the comedy falls flat. Vicious Fun would’ve improved significantly if it explored its unique concepts further. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Although Vicious Fun is somewhat of a missed opportunity, it isn’t a terrible movie. With an hour and a half to kill, it’s worth a view.

Vicious Fun will be released June 29^th on Shudder.