Destroy All Neighbors (2024) If You Want Goopy Horror Comedy Hijinx
Title: Destroy All Neighbors
First Non-Festival Release: January 12, 2024 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)
Director: Josh Forbes
Writer: Mike Benner, Jared Logan, Charles A. Pieper
Runtime: 85 Minutes
Starring: Jonah Rey, Alex Winter, Randee Heller
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Apartment living can be tough, especially if your neighbors aren’t the best. While some complexes pad the walls, floors, and ceilings enough to block out any excess noise, the consequences for failing to do so fall squarely on the tenants. A careless neighbor that has little regard for your needs can drive you crazy.
This is the situation that William (Jonah Rey) is in when Vlad (Alex Winter) moves into the unit next-door. Vlad is the neighbor from hell. Disrespectful with his volume, smells, and attitude, William is justified in hating his newfound rival. All William wants to do is finish working on his masterpiece: a progressive rock album that he has been obsessing over for years. When William confronts Vlad once more, things go too far leaving William to clean up the mess. As the madness spirals out of control, William finds himself living out a chaotic life he never imagined for himself.
Over-the-top, gross, and desperate to be endearing, Destroy All Neighbors is a passion project that irritates more than it entertains.
You will discover if Destroy All Neighbors is right for you early on in the film, as its specific brand of humor permeates through every frame. Leaning into the millennial “well THAT just happened” shtick a little bit too much, Destroy All Neighbors takes its time with its hide-the-body story from hell. It’s abrasive, it’s bold, and most importantly it’s boring. In attempting to make the wackiest horror comedy, Destroy All Neighbors stagnates as the horror is not pungent enough to unnerve and the comedy isn’t sharp enough to knock you off guard.
As a protagonist, William is both insufferable and lacking any compelling growth. Passive in most ways, his lack of agency makes the film feel positively whiny at times. Stuck with Vlad’s overarching control and forced to cover up for his mistakes, as well as the plenty he makes on his own, William takes orders from most unless it interferes with his goal of making his album. This becomes the sticking point. His motivations are clear, but the drive itself is one-note. The obsession over a niche interest is cute, and definitely plays into the humor of it all, but it feels so disjointed from what is happening onscreen, making for an odd arc.
For all its faults, It’s impossible to deny that Destroy All Neighbors has a clear vision. The quirky blend of horror and comedy does make for some fun moments where William interacts with his new crew. Its cutesy take on demons and dead bodies may be off-putting to some but a welcome breath of fresh air for those tired of the dour and deliberate. This vision leads to the creation of some pretty gnarly moments of creativity that elevate the film ever so slightly.
Inspired practical effects and solid cinematography bring life to the limp horror comedy affair. Gooey, gross, and gory, Destroy All Neighbors is like a carnival ride of practical effect gags. The commitment to making each creature/mutant look great is commendable as it has a truly tactile approach to horror. Everything looks real, or at the very least, looks like it exists within its own silly world. It also does make the kill scenes more enjoyable, especially when it completely loses its way comedically.
Wannabe cult classic Destroy All Neighbors has all the ingredients for a rip-roaring horror comedy, but it fails to mix them together in a convincing way. For those with an affinity for prog rock and whimsical sarcasm, Destroy All Neighbors has plenty to supply. Otherwise, the jokes are likely not going to land and the hijinx of the protagonist will get stale quickly. Technically capable but specific enough to alienate, Destroy All Neighbors is the horror comedy bound to divide audiences.
Overall Score? 5/10
