History Film / MurderParty

''Murder Party'' is a 2007 {{Horror}} {{Comedy}} by Creator/JeremySaulnier and The Lab of Madness about a [[ExtremeDoormat hapless]] [[IneffectualLoner loner]] named Chris Hawley who decides to attend a party that he [[SchmuckBait found an invitation]] for because his [[CatsAreMean cat]] will not move from the living room reclining chair in order to allow him to watch the videos that he rented. Unbeknownst to Chris, the invitation that he responds to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is for a literal murder party]] hosted by a group of five [[AxCrazy deranged]], but [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain fortunately not terribly competent]] [[MadArtist artists]] who intend to kill him as a part of an art piece in order to appeal to a [[EntitledBastard wealthy aficionado named Alexander]].

* EmptyPromise: [[spoiler:Alexander is not who he says he is at all. He has convinced all of the artists that he is a wealthy art enthusiast so that he can take advantage of them and lure them into a trap to have them all killed, just as he had them lure Chris into a trap. And all so he could sell their art after they were dead. He is actually a fry cook named Tim.]]

* BiTheWay: Paul and Alexander are both bisexual. Paul admits to it, and Alexander is seem having sex with both Paul and Lexi.

* MistakenForExhibit: After Bill messily kills several performance artists, there's a scene where patrons look in on the bloodspattered room filled with bodies, and speculate on the artistic meaning of the piece.

* ThisIsUnforgivable: Macon after [[spoiler: seeing Bill kill Lexi, which drives him into a fury and leaves him hellbent on killing Bill in retribution. As mentioned in a previous spoiler, Macon has unrequited romantic feelings towards Lexi.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the opening credits montage, a woman is shown arguing with a TrafficWarden. Chris is later revealed to be a traffic warden himself and admits that all he does in his job is upset people.

* BewareTheQuietOnes: [[spoiler: Bill rules this trope as he spent most of the movie playing with his phone and not giving a fuck what happens around him. Once he reached his breaking point however...BackstabBackfire was the least horrible of the things that ensued.]]

* NoBudget: ''Literally''. Jeremy Saulnier and the Lab of Madness made this film in February 2006 with a budget of zero dollars.

* CoolButInefficient: Macon's chainsaw, which causes him problems throughout the movie due to its very obvious drawback.

* BadBoss: What kind of boss threatens a miniboss with a gun and forces them to strip for daring to be better dressed than him, verbally abuses and insults all of his subordinates and [[spoiler: attempts to doublecross and murder them when he got what he desired from them?]] Alexander does.
* BadassNormal: Chris and Bill... sort of.

* BerserkButton: For Bill [[spoiler:learning that Alexander was lying to them, and that there was no money, finally drove him into a murderous rage. Alexander's name becomes a red one for him so much that after a HopeSpot where a familiar of his compliments his art and tells him that he has potential and Bill calms down and looks flattered and it seems like the bloodbath has ended, the mere mention of Alexander's name is enough to make his eyes flash with hatred and return to his bloody rampage]].
* BewareTheQuietOnes: [[spoiler: Bill rules this trope as he spent most of the movie playing with his console and not giving a fuck what happens around him. Once he reached his breaking point however...BackstabBackfire was the least horrible of the things that ensued.]]
* BigBad: Alexander, both for setting up the party and [[spoiler: setting up the whole scenario in order to kill the artists and to turn a higher profit on their work. Bill ends up replacing Alexander as the big bad in the end of the film only because he survives and happens to be legitimately axe crazy.]]
* BiTheWay: Paul. Though he is a villain, his bisexuality has nothing to do with his villainous tendencies, and isn't really sneered at in the context of the film.
** Alexander also merits a mention for having sex both with Lexi and later with Paul, [[spoiler: and [[DepravedBisexual using them while planning to kill them later]]]].

* CrapsackWorld: Chris's life in New York City does not reflect well to say the least.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The entire artist group becomes offended when Zycho says the N word unexpectedly, and take a disliking to him as a result. Lexi goes so far as to tell him that she hates him.

* GoKartingWithBowser: Chris never played such a game of Truth-or-dare, being tied up and knowing that the other participants would stab him later. They almost bonded.

* LamePunReaction:
--> '''Chris''': "This has been one crazy knight... but you know with a 'k' in knight."
** No reaaction at all. Still better than the reaction after feeling shy and not saying anything at all.
--> '''Alexander''': "Macon, may I borrow your chainsaw for a moment?"

* MadArtist: The five (er four) primary antagonists of the movie.

* {{Narcissist}}: The artists again.

* PottyFailure: Chris mentions an instance where this happened to him in the past while under the influence of sodium pentathol, but the initial fashion in which mentions it leads the artists to believe that it has just happened.
* PsychopathicManchild: Bill. He very much typifies this trope.

* SchmuckBait: The invitation to a "murder party" was pretty obvious, even though it was Halloween. Chris proved himself less than mentally acute by responding to this anonymous letter so readily and unquestioningly.

* ShoutOut: Both the Warriors and Blade Runner receive nods. Also, the movie itself is an affectionate genre parody.

* SocialClimber: The artists, for seeking Alexander's approval, his alleged prestige and money. So much so that the two biggest ones of them, [[spoiler:Lexi and Paul]], sleep with Alexander, presumably to win his favor.

* TheStoic: Zycho.

** Alexander is this for a significant part of the film, [[DissonantSerenity especially when he shouldn't]].

* TheComicallySerious: Both Zycho and Bill qualify as this, seeing as they remain the most serious members despite the goofiness around them and even when they have moments of it themselves.

''Murder Party'' is a 2007 {{Horror}} {{Comedy}} by Jeremy Saulnier (''Film/BlueRuin'', ''Film/GreenRoom'') and The Lab of Madness about a [[ExtremeDoormat hapless]] [[IneffectualLoner loner]] named Chris Hawley who decides to attend a party that he [[SchmuckBait found an invitation]] for because his [[CatsAreMean cat]] will not move from the living room reclining chair in order to allow him to watch the videos that he rented. Unbeknownst to Chris, the invitation that he responds to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is for a literal murder party]] hosted by a group of five [[AxCrazy deranged]], but [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain fortunately not terribly competent]] [[MadArtist artists]] who intend to kill him as a part of an art piece in order to appeal to a [[EntitledBastard wealthy aficionado named Alexander]].

* ObviouslyEvil: Its Halloween so most of the collective of murderous freaks are dressed accordingly and look menacing just for the night. The more mundane-looking Zycho on the other hand merits a mention since he is dressed as himself, as a drug dealer, low-life thug and [[spoiler: killer for hire]] that is.

* PsychoForHire: Zycho is for hire and likes drugs, fish chips and murder, as seen when Bill suggested killing Chris and he quickly said great with a renewed interest.

* AmusingInjuries: Sky and Macon both accidentally kill themselves in amusing ways. Macon also accidentally disfigures himself in an amusing manner prior to his eventual demise.

* IdiotHero: Chris fits this trope all too well.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Chris in the end, sort of. [[spoiler: Bill might also classify, and Lexi to some extent, for managing to incapacitate Zycho until he is killed.]]

* MadArtist: The five primary antagonists of the movie.

* SmallNameBigEgo: The artists all think very highly of their work, though they are decidedly not well known in the movie's own context. The one with the smallest name in comparison to his gigantic ego [[spoiler: must be Alexander though, who is unbelievably pretentious to the point of writing fancy words to use them later and acting like a snobbish aficionado when he is actually a fry cook named Tim]].

* StockholmSyndrome: Chris develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome, which is most notable during the extreme truth or dare scene.

* BadBoss: Alexander. What kind of boss threatens a miniboss with a gun and forces them to strip for daring to be better dressed than him, verbally abuses and insults all of his subordinates and [[spoiler: attempts to doublecross and murder them when he got what he desired from them?]]

* AxCrazy: Bill [[spoiler: both figuratively and literally at the end of the movie]]. Well more extremely and [[MoodWhiplash effectively]] than the others, that is. Its telling that Macon attempted at first to be this and failed miserably.
* BadBoss: Alexander. What kind of boss threatens a miniboss with a gun for daring to be better dressed than hims, verbally abuses and insults all of his subordinates and [[spoiler: attempts to doublecross and murder them when he got what he desired from them?]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Bill.

* VillainessesWantHeroes: The strange lap dance that Lexi does for Chris seems to imply some level of attraction she has for him. Or she may just be messing with him.

* BadBoss: Alexander.