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Sitting down to write this review, I honestly find it difficult to truly wrap my head around Destroy All Neighbors, as it still feels like a fever dream of a film that I still question whether or not truly exists . It’s a cartoonishly gory, mind bending, deranged horror comedy with some really fun practical effects, which I feel a lot of modern horror films take for granted. The story follows a struggling progressive rock musician named William Brown, played Jonah Ray, who finds himself at odds with a new neighbor that moves into his apartment building named Vlad, played by Alex Winter (who I honestly didn’t recognize throughout most of the film, until checking IMDB because he felt oddly familiar).

William is your typical starving artist who has been working on his album for nearly 3 years, while his girlfriend Emily, played by Kiran Deol, supports his dream the best that she can, while still being the responsible one in their loving relationship. When it comes to his dealings with the outside world, however, such as the recording studio he works at and his interactions with fellow neighbors within the complex, he seems generally miserable, apathetic, or actively tries to avoid confrontation.

Unfortunately for William, his new neighbor Vlad turns out to be the neighbor from hell, who keeps William awake with his constant loud music at all hours of the night, loud screaming, and other questionable noises. The lack of sleep ends up affecting the work on his album and other aspects of his life. Rather than handling the situation on his own, or letting Emily intervene, he tries to take the coward’s way out by filing a noise complaint with the police, which only adds fuel to the fire.

After eventually having enough off Vlad’s antics, William does confront Vlad, and it almost seems like the two might actually get along… until William accidentally kills him. From this point on, the movie dials the crazy to 11, as more people within the apartment complex end up dead, each coming back to haunt William. The way each character meets their end is over-the-top to the point where it can sometimes feel comical.

The movie doesn’t relent until the very end, leaving you always questioning what is real and what may just be all in William’s mind, making you feel just as crazy as the main character at times. Some parts even feel Lovecraftian in nature, all in the name of progressive rock.

Destroy All Neighbor‘s greatest strengths are also some of its weaknesses, with only the cast performances, especially Alex Winter, and the gleefully goopy practical effects standing out. For an indie film that is a Shudder original, I was impressed with the creature and character designs. Again, just look at what they did to Alex Winter.

In the end, I feel like the movie may just be one massive metaphor for progressive rock in itself. As… interesting as it was to watch this film, I’m not sure if I could bring myself to watch it again, unless subjecting someone else to its madness. Either way, I’d say I can think of worse ways to spend 85 minutes, and suggest you give this a watch at least once, if you are a fan of practical effects or over-the-top horror comedies with a considerable amount of gore.

– Anthony

REVIEW SCORE: 5/10