An Ideal Host

This movie was FUN, from start to finish, in a variety of ways. I dont know about you, but thats the main reason that I watch a film. It started off like it was going to be a quirky rom-com(I knew it was a horror movie going in), and genuinely made me laugh out loud several times. The quirky "everything that can go wrong" style of humor seemed like it was going to go down one horror path and then completely took me by surprise by the direction it actually went. It maintained the humor through the second act while spinning a mystery, setting up the stakes, and dipping a toe firmly into a certain style or horror, while remaining light and fun. The final act then got BRUTAL. I was not ready for it given the light tone it had taken to that point, but I loved it. It went for it in a way that many bigger budget films should study and take notes on. The more blind you can go into this, the better off you will be.

Imagine that you planned the perfect dinner party and then things started to go a bit wrong. And then even more wrong. How wrong? The only way to describe it would be to compare this film to a movie where King Kong was tearing the Titanic apart just before it hit the iceberg. The action just keeps getting more and more extreme until it reaches complete madness, and it goes a few steps more. This movie is great fun if you have a taste for the absurd.

This is a legitimately fun little low budget Australian indie horror comedy. The microbudget is used well and while some of the effects show the limitations of what they were working with, that's really about all that does.

The opening, while very much comedic, set such a good stage about something being decidedly wrong about the main couple, Liz and Jackson, and their relationship beyond their obvious superficiality that I expected the nature of the horror reveal to be something entirely different than what it ended up being, even if it was honestly fairly telegraphed in retrospect. The script is smarter than I'd expected as well, and the cast does really well with the material. No intended shade to the Australian horror comedy tradition, but most of the ones I've seen previously seemed to be trying too hard to be early Peter Jackson to bother actually being well made, interesting, or even attempt anything of their own, so I'd not had the highest hopes for this movie to be different. Happily, that was not the case here at all.

Take a chance on this one if you like quirky little character-driven indie comedies alongside your dose of over the top splatter. The latter reminded me a bit more of a slightly more grounded Evil Dead approach than early Jackson or really even later Raimi - gory and at not intended to always be entirely realistic, but not necessarily fully goofy and goopy.

An Aussie Indy film, small budget, small cast, but it is neither deserving a highly rated score, nor bottom of the barrel ones. And it is best viewed without knowing anything about the movie. Liz and Jackson are planning a dinner party with their close friends, and are practicing their marriage proposal, as they want it just right. And after 10 years together, they decided it was the right time. Liz is one to want things perfect, and she has everything timed to the minute, from when the 'good' wine will be served to when dessert will be served. She gets up the next morning ready to set the table, but she has a problem deciding on the theme. And no one can possibly have as many different dinner sets as she has to go along with different decor themes. But there is a wrinkle, in that Daisy, who was not invited, is coming along with some other guests. Daisy is known as prone to drinking, and an overall disruptive force. Daisy arrives, and naturally starts to interfere with Liz's tight schedule. She immediately searches out the 'good' wine, not the regular wine before dinner Liz wanted to serve. And Mara, invited, can't help but keep reminding everyone she just got back from Bali. So there are plenty of conflicts, open and simmering that could upset the tight schedule Liz has set for the dinner. About 2/3 through the movie, there is an unexpected twist that no one could expect, and sends the movie in a much different direction. I don't think this is the strongest part of the movie.

5/10

Stumbled across this and something compelled me to watch it. Dont know why Not bad for such a low budget affair but you wont want to take your Mum.

After the credits roll, there is not much about this film that will make you want to talk about it, or remember it.

Credit due for its boldness.

A hard film to love or hate really, but tbh i was happy when it ended.

It wont be a film that will live in the hearts or souls of anyone, or make any kind of dent in the history of cinema for that matter.

I applaud the filmakers for making something out of what seems to be nothing. Gotta give credit for that.