There is something horrifically and fantastically over the top about Bodies Bodies Bodies that makes it so delightful to watch. Every modern cliché about class, mental health, toxic behaviour, male and female, sex, relationships, you name it, it comes up at least once but none of this deters from the murder mystery game. There are weapons, blood and drugs all smeared across the screen but nothing so potent at the secrets that spill out all over the place. It’s a beautiful mess and actually really funny.
Recovering addict Sophie takes her new girlfriend Bee to her wealthy friend David’s house for a party to ride out a hurricane. Sophie’s friends seem surprised to see her, having not heard from her in a long time, there is obvious awkwardness and hostility. During the party the group play ‘Bodies bodies bodies’, a murder in the dark style game but this doesn’t go as well as planned, ending in arguments. Then, during a power outage Bee finds a bloody body, terrifying the group and as the bodies pile up, they are spurred on to believe that someone is out to murder them all, one by one.
Mixing together a classic setting for a murder mystery and with characters that would normally be at the forefront a slasher, film genre fans are given the best of both worlds. Although aimed primarily at the Generation Z audience, not only for the actors but for everything else in the scene, the characters are carefully curated each representing who they, literally wearing themselves on their sleeves. The anecdotes the friends share as well as the societal comments are pitch perfect. The odd one out in this group is Greg, the 40-year-old ex-army millennial, who is never in on the joke, always saying ‘you’re fucking with me’ immediately makes him the outsider without even trying. If you wanted to read deeper into the boundary between Greg and the others, particularly his eventual fate. It’s as if one generation is taking out the old one, survival instincts kicking in. But Greg isn’t the only character serving a function, there are other stereotypes brought into spotlight; the recovering addict, the emotional creative, the bitter honest friend, the one without common sense and the nice one with a burning secret. The friends make a fantastic and refreshing line up of suspects.
With any story about a group of friends that get together, secrets, lies and home truths are bound to spill out, a matter of a murder isn’t going to get in the way of this lot. All are consumed with how they are perceived, whether it’s if they look like they fuck or if everyone really loves their podcast. The darker moments in the film are not the actual deaths but the revelations of truth from each character, how they are delivered, the atmosphere of a storm and one of your friends blood covering the carpet sets the eery scenes. The real horror is finding out you don’t know those closest to you. It’s strange but fitting for this crowd how they care about the silliest things in the middle of this murderer hunt and its absolutely fascinating to watch.
As well as covering the murder mystery elements of the film, there is enough blood to make this an acceptable slasher. With a fare few jump scares and genuinely scary moments, these will please those who enjoy a slasher horror and the hardcore fans can enjoy the many comedic moments to make up for the lack of gore. Bodies Bodies Bodies is the hybrid fans of all genres have been waiting to see be made and made so well.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is out in cinemas on 2nd September
