Bodie, Bodies, Bodies: fun, fun, fun

The fun of horror films is an often-overlooked factor in the Blumhouse, jump scare era. When I think of current horror films I think of forgettable, samey low budget flicks that barely make me feel anything. The problem with the jump scare is that it relies so heavily on a shock in the moment, it leaves no lasting impression. A cat darting across the street at night has made me jump, I am not terrified to leave the house now out of fear of cats. This formulaic money maker of a film has left me kind f bored of horror films. Sure, there have been some incredible efforts in recent years, Hereditary and the VVitch both gave me sleepless nights, but to me those are a different type of horror, a more intense viewing experience that I would never put on for a fun night. The fun, campy horror feels like a dying art, or at least it did until I watched Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.

Bodies (as I will now be referring to it) reminds me a lot of Scream and I think it carries that instant cult classic label that belongs to Scream. Scream took a fresh approach to the horror genre by nodding to the clichés of the genre in a tongue in cheek way whilst also being an effective horror film itself, the opening scene of scream is some of the scariest stuff I have seen in a horror film. Bodies does not do that, but it does have the tongue in cheek, fun vibe that has been missing from slasher films in recent years. The way Scream poked fun at the horror genre, Bodies pokes fun at the exact audience it entices: Gen Z. Making fun of a subsect of society is a slippery slope; it must come from someone within that part of society and a place of love. This is why shows like Little Britain have aged horribly whereas People Just Do Nothing is a genuinely funny watch that understands what makes a culture great but plays up the ridiculous nature of it. Bodies walks this tightrope without slipping once. The writers of this film understand modern day teen lingo and the cast deliver it in a way that is believable. The podcast line has rightfully been circulated as a comedic highlight of this film because its perfectly encapsulates a certain area of modern society that is objectively ridiculous. I am sure we have all seen someone that should have the microphone taken away from them and spare the world from their awful, cringeworthy takes. That is why bodies works; it understands its demographic perfectly.

Building on that last point, the writing in Bodies is so tight. So many jokes are crammed in its explosive. This can be dangerous where the plot is sacrificed for the sake of jokes. This is not the case in Bodies thankfully uses the jokes to further the character development. The script is so well written I would not be surprised if the cast were involved in the writing process. The script gives the actors so much to work with and feels tailored to each character. Pete Davidson plays the rich douche to perfection, Amandla Stenburg gives a great erratic performance, and the rest of the cast are perfectly selected. The real star of the show is Rachel Sennott. For anyone that knows of her before this, especially her online presence then this role was made for her. She is so funny in this film with almost every line being quotable. She lights up every scene she is in and bounces so well off the rest of the cast. She is one to watch for the future, a star in the making.

The plot of this film is a classic murder mystery, ‘who dunnit’ type/ slasher film ripped straight from the Agatha Christie playbook… If Poirot ran a podcast and the passengers on the Orient Express, all had raging drug problems. The juxtaposition of a usual slow and calculated story being told at breakneck speed for the modern age is a refreshing take that embarrasses the new Murder on the Nile film. I cannot really go in to too much detail about the plot (kind of the point of a murder mystery) but I will say the deaths in this film are done in interesting and unique ways that make sense tonally with the film.

One last point is the cinematography of this film is particularly noteworthy. A central plot point is that the events of the film take place during a hurricane that results in a power outage. This results in some really creative ways of lighting scenes using light sources such as phone torches and glowsticks. The lighting contributes to the chaotic atmosphere and builds tension by reducing the viewer’s perspective of what is going on. This is a fun detail of the film that adds another layer of enjoyment to an already incredibly fun watch.

The mystery nature of this film keeps this a short review but does not take away from the quality of the film. I have tried to keep this vague to keep the mystery in the viewing experience, but this is a film I highly recommend. A fun, ridiculous take on the murder mystery genre with plenty of the best parts of a great slasher. This is all brought together with some fantastic performances by some of the best young actresses in the business now. I had an absolute blast watching this film and I know that anyone reading this would too!