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The Murder Game (2006)

DVD Cover (Lightyear Entertainment)
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Overall Rating 39%
Overall Rating
Ranked #11,013
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A group of teenagers invent a game in which one of them is secretly chosen to be a "killer," while the others remain innocent victims. Armed with prop weapons, the "killer" must eliminate the other players before being found out. To enhance their experience, the teens sneak into a large self-storage warehouse during its closed, late-night hours to hold their game. At first, it's better than ever. But, things take a horrific turn as one by one, the players begin dying... for real. --IMDb
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Review by Tristan
Added: January 25, 2009
It's been far too long since I've seen an enjoyable slasher film. Cliched or not, they just don't make 'em like they used to. Most horror films today are either a Japanese remake, a "reimagining" or a PG-13 crapfest geared towards our younger generation. In past years the Saw franchise has brought back the feel of the 80's and 90's slasher flick, but that has all but died with the last few installments. It's a downright shame that us fans of the slasher film are disappointed year after year by the mainstream horror scene. You have two options. Put up with mediocre horror films hoping to stumble across the odd good one, or dig through the thousands upon thousands of independent and B horror films that are floating around out there. It can take awhile to find the right one but every now and again, you luck out.

In a dark, twisted variation on hide-and-seek, a group of high school kids have come up with the ultimate game - the murder game. Each kid draws a card and whomever gets the Queen of Spades is the killer. His job: to kill everyone else. Not literally of course, but you get the idea. Believe it or not, the kids' parents don't seem to approve so the teens move from house to house until they run out of options. That is until ringleader Eric (Steve Polites) gets the bright idea of using one of their parents storage warehouses. It takes some convincing, but eventually the gang's all in. The stage is set and everything is in order. Should be a flawless night of teenage fun, right? Wrong. Apparently someone else has their own plans for the evening. What starts out as a harmless game quickly turns into a fight for survival as the kids are slowly and violently picked off one by one.

Recently I had the privilege of seeing My Bloody Valentine in 3D. While the 3D element wasn't entirely necessary, I think it was a great throwback to some of the earlier horror films such as Friday the 13th Part III and Freddy's Dead. Anyway, it stirred up a whole bunch of nostalgia in me. I re-watched Going To Pieces, and I've been on a bit of a slasher kick since. Figuring I would kill two birds with one stone, I decided upon watching The Murder Game - the latest effort from writer / director Robert Harari. I was pleasantly surprised. It took awhile to get rolling, but thankfully there were a lot of laughs to help fill in the slow spots. The acting for the most part was pretty solid, something I'm not accustomed to in films of this type. I was particularly impressed with the lead character Eric. I sense he'll be making his way to bigger and better things in years to come. Thankfully the gore isn't over the top, but it's gratuitous when needed. Of course there's a few cheesy scenes, but there's a nice impaling scene that grabbed my attention, as well as a scissor stab that looked pretty damn fine for the budget.

This one will probably go unnoticed for the most part, but hey, that's fine by me. I don't need my movies to have a huge audience for me to enjoy them. Sure it had a bunch of no name actors and a low budget. Doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. I don't think I'd be lying if I said that most under-the-radar horror films I've seen in the last year have been better than the big budget, Hollywood blockbuster horror films. You can't make up for a pitiful film with fancy effects and big name stars. All a horror film needs is a good story, some decent effects and a lot of heart, and I'm in. This movie certainly delivered on that front. I could swear I've seen this movie idea before - I think it was a foreign film - but this just seemed so fresh and energetic. You could tell that the director most certainly knows his horror film. All the classic elements of a slasher film are present right from the start, and there is no shortage of horror movie cliches. The fake scares, silly teens, copious amounts of blood, it's all here.

Overall, I'd have to say this was an enjoyable film. It certainly isn't anything I haven't seen before, but it was still a nice fresh take on the genre. I wouldn't call myself a slasher expert, but I have seen just about all the ones I could get my hands on, and I do know what makes a good one and what makes a bad one. This film had its fair share of both sides, but in the end it came out on top. If you're a fan of the slasher genre, I recommend you check this one out. It's up on Amazon for a reasonable price, and I'd be very surprised if you couldn't Netflix it. Check it out, I'm sure you'll be as surprised as I was.

7/10.
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