Vicious Fun (2021)

Vicious Fun is the kind of movie that remembers horror can be wickedly entertaining: it drops a snarky ’80s genre critic into a serial-killer “support group” and lets the premise play like a neon-lit pressure cooker of jokes, tension, and gleeful bad taste. Cody Calahan keeps the tone buoyant even when the body count climbs, with meta jabs at horror tropes that feel affectionate rather than smug, and performances that sell the absurdity with straight-faced commitment. It’s brisk, colorful, and consistently inventive, the sort of midnight-movie crowd-pleaser that knows exactly when to wink and when to twist the knife. If you’re squeamish or allergic to splattery comedy, it may not be your ride—but if you like your horror with a sharp punchline and an ’80s pulse, this one’s a blast.

Vicious Fun is clearly trying to be a neon-soaked, ’80s throwback that mashes up slasher gore with a snarky “movie nerd in over his head” comedy and a bit of romantic wish-fulfillment. When it works, it’s brisk, colorful, and cheerfully splattery, with a fun premise that keeps the momentum moving even when the logic doesn’t. The problem is the tone can feel corny rather than clever, the suspense and scares are pretty light, and some of the gender dynamics land awkwardly enough that “retro” starts to look like an excuse. If you want a genuinely scary horror film or you’re sensitive to sexist vibes played for laughs, this will likely irritate you; if you’re happy with a gory, tongue-in-cheek B-movie ride, it’s serviceable.