Destroy All Neighbors

The axiom of “turn your brain off and enjoy” can have something of a negative connotation. Usually, it’s applied to big, stupid action movies with bad writing and worse plot sense. But sometimes it’s applicable to a flick like Destroy All Neighbors, where trying to figure out the film rather than experiencing it can be detrimental. Especially when we have a flick with some wildly entertaining performances, impressive practical makeup and gore FX, and is out to deliver some simple throwback entertainment. 

Now our plot is relatively simple. Jonah Ray Rodrigues plays aspiring musician/audio engineer William Brown. All William wants to do is put the finishing touches to his Prog Rock album, but life keeps getting in the way. Between a girlfriend who needs more printer paper and a boss who just won't give him a break, things are stressful enough. It all gets worse when new neighbor Vlad (Alex Winter) moves in and plays his music full blast non-stop. When William finally confronts Vlad, the putrescent neighbor accidentally ends up dead. Or at least William thinks it’s an accident. But when Vlad’s remains come back to life and hound William’s every waking moment, finishing a Prog Rock album isn’t a big priority. Especially when other neighbors also end up dead. 

Destroy All Neighbors is the best version of a “turn your brain off” feature. Thinking about what’s happening and trying to “figure it out” isn't going to help you much. This is one of the films that you need to let wash over you. Are the bits and pieces of Vlad and the neighbors haunting William alive, or is it all in his head? Doesn't matter. While I’ll say director Josh Forbes and his writers could have clarified things a little, maybe toned down some of the absurdity to let the humor land on its own, I can’t deny that I had fun with this one. 

While I’d still love to see Jonah Ray Rodrigues still wearing his yellow jumpsuit and riffing away with the bots, he does nicely on his own here. He has a knack for exasperated manic comedy, and the best pieces of this film let him shine. Alex Winter looks like he’s having a blast through twenty pounds of makeup as Vlad, and their interplay is what makes the movie tick. The biggest issue for the film is the tonal whiplash. At 85 minutes, it might be a bit too rushed along for what the film is ultimately trying to achieve. Through mounds of impressive practical gore and makeup FX, the film gets there in the end, but the journey could have been smoother. So yeah, turn off your brain and try to enjoy the ride, as bumpy as it might be. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Destroy All Neighbors evicerates its first Blu-ray release thanks to Shudder and OCN Distribution. A single-disc release, the film is pressed on a Region A BD50 disc, is housed in a clear case, and comes with two postcards and a booklet. If you ordered through Vinegar Syndrome, you could have picked up a custom slipcover.

Destroy All Neighbors blasts away in 1080p with a pretty impressive 2.00:1 transfer. This is a case where what’s supposed to be “normal” looks great, and what looks “insane” can be processed to hell and gone. But that’s by design. When it’s “normal,” details are sharp and clear, and colors are robust. When things go insane, colors are cranked to the max, with reds, blues, and greens pushing the image hard. As these visuals shift, black levels can get a big blocky, verge pretty close to crush, but thankfully don’t go all the way over the edge. The best I can say for this transfer is we get to appreciate all of the insane over-the-top gore effects - which is important because they can be damned funny.

The film clicks in with an impressive DTS-HD MA 5.1 experience. From the quiet confines of William’s apartment to the inanity of Vlad’s domicile and his sound system, the mix has a pretty damned fun sonic experience. When things get nuts, that soundscape is fully active with some really impressive imaging, especially for some of the gore FX and their slippery nature. Dialog is clean throughout. Music is well deployed to accent the events at hand. All around an effective track for this wild flick.

In a wild twist of things, this disc has an absurd amount of bonus content to dive into! Upfront, I didn’t get through all of it, but when you’ve got five audio commentaries, that’s a lot of material to digest. With that, I got through a couple of them, enough to say they’re worth the time if you’re a fan of the film, particularly the Director & Actors track and the Director and Writers track. The featurettes are a little slim, they don’t run long, but inside a couple of minutes, there are a few good looks at the making of the film. Then there’s an essay from the director inside the booklet that’s worth the time as well. 

• Audio Commentary 1 featuring Josh Forbes and actors Thomas Lennon and Jon Daly.
• Audio Commentary 2 featuring Josh Forbes, co-writer Charles A. Pieper, and actors Christian Calloway and Randee Heller.
• Audio Commentary 3 featuring Josh Forbes and special makeup effects designer Gabe Bartalos.
• Audio Commentary 4 featuring musicians Ryan Kattner and Brett Morris.
• Audio Commentary 5 featuring Phil Hendrie.
• Introducing Gabe Bartalos (HD 2:08)
• Destroy All Makeup FX (HD 4:13) 
• Designing Skeleanor (HD 2:10) 
• Designing Auggie & Pig Guy (HD 2:36)
• Designing Vlad (HD 7:24)
• EPK Behind the Scenes (HD 3:20)
• Trailer

Destroy All Neighbors isn’t exactly a terrific film, but I’d argue it succeeds more than it stumbles. When it’s at its best, the film is wildly entertaining and more than a little hilarious. Some of the tonal whiplash could have been inched back and leaned a little more on subtlety, but that’s me just being nitpicky. With some great performances and some impressive makeup FX work, Destroy All Neighbors feels like a genre throwback with a devious sense of humor. On Blu-ray, the film scores a solid A/V presentation with the motherload of extra features to enjoy. If you’re game to give it a try, this is certainly Worth A Look