MURDERITAVILLE (2024)

New On Demand, digital download, Blu-ray, and VHS from Paul Dale Films & By The Horns TV!
Directed by Paul Dale.
Written by Paul Dale, Dylan McGovern.
Starring Heather Campos, Jenna-Francis Duvic, Dylan McGovern, Manon Pages, Austin Naulty, Kenny Bellau, Carter Simoneaux, Dustin Simoneaux, Pierre Simoneaux
Check out the trailer here!!

From the madmen behind low fi schlockers; KILLER KITES, SEWER GATORS and SILENT BUT DEADLY, comes MURDERITAVILLE—a film that has the disclaimer that it was made while popular party singer Jimmy Buffet was alive, but serves as a tribute to him now that he passed. MURDERITAVILLE follows a group of rowdy Buffet fans on their way to see a Buffet impersonator in concert, but their plans are interrupted by a creature known as Parrothead.

While a lot of the territory this film walks was already trounced upon by the underappreciated CLUB DREAD by the Broken Lizard crew with a hilarious performance by Bill Paxton, MURDERITAVILLE is a good natured spoof of slashers and Buffet fans alike. The filmmakers have obviously done their homework or are die hard fans themselves as the script is littered with lyrics from Buffet’s myriad of hits; all incorporated well into conversations had by the hapless victims of the Parrothead. My favorite is where the group is grilling and when asked what they want on their burger, someone reacts with lettuce, tomato, Heinz 57, and French-fried potatoes, of course. The tone is goofy and harmless. The Parrothead is a riff on the werewolf as the curse is passed from one person to the next through a bite and as long as the infected stays drunk, they’re fine. But once they sober up, the Parrothead sprouts its feathers and goes on a killing spree.

The most important thing about a spoof is that it is actually funny and I know how milage may vary, but I found myself laughing quite a bit at the antics these drunk party-goers get into in the name of Buffet. Yes, it is absurd as all get out, but there is a good-heartedness to this film that really made me root for it. The Parrothead looks goofy, but strangely uncanny and decently made. There’s even a behind the scenes sequence during the credits showing the actor being transformed into the monster by the makeup artist. I kind of wish there would have been something like that in the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies, as seeing the process the actor had to go through was quite fascinating.

Basically, this is a film made by a bunch of friends and an excuse to get drunk and party together. I can get behind that. Especially since it actually has a strong sense of humor about Buffet and its fans. If you love Buffet, sadly there are no Buffet songs played in this one. Of course not. That’s not in the budget. Still it celebrates the songwriter by lifting a lot of his lyrics. If you hate Buffet, you get to experience of enjoying seeing Buffet fans killed over and over again. So it’s a win-win on both sides. Don’t take it seriously for a second and I think if you know only half of the Buffet songs and the cult-like following of his fans, you’ll get a kick out of MURDERITAVILLE.