After a panty-raid gone wrong, a horrifically burned sorority mother returns as the serial killer ‘Motherface’ to exact revenge on the Delta Bi fraternity that caused the fire – such is the plot of the first two films in the Dude Bro Party Massacre franchise. The only reason we are able to watch this bootleg copy of the third installment – despite President Reagan’s orders to have them all destroyed – is due to the heroism of a Minnesota teenager, who stayed up late to record the public access midnight screening of the film on VHS, commercials and all. In this chapter of the franchise, brooding loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate his twin brother’s fraternity to investigate his murder, but what he wasn’t prepared to discover was the power of dude bro friendship.
The plot summary above is only the tip of the iceberg of preposterousness that is Dude Bro Party Massacre III – everything from the characters to the plot are nonsensical and hilarious, but the film somehow manage to stay on course in providing a unique and overblown parody of ’80s slasher films. The attention to detail in the film is exceptional – absurd, fictional ’80s era commercials, wondrous one-liners and minute details (the most ridiculous dude bro is named Turbo, but a very subtle aside reveals that it is spelt Turbeaux) are surprisingly well-crafted. There is little adherence to cheap stereotypical characters and even though the basic premise of taking the piss out of ’80s slasher films has certainly been done before, there’s no way to predict where the next laugh or ridiculous piece of gore will come from.
Happily enough, Greg Sestero of The Room fame is a frat boy/man, Larry King turns up for a bit, and so does party guy/musician Andrew W.K. A real standout, however, is Brian Firenzi (founder of 5 Second Films) as the deranged Officer Sminkle. If you close your eyes, it’s almost as if it’s Phil Hartman reincarnate – that specific breed of measured insanity really shines through in what one imagines might otherwise be a throwaway performance. The timing and writing in Dude Bro Party Massacre III is nothing short of spectacular, and the self-aware absurdity of casual lines such as “stand over there next to my dead family” cement the film’s ascension to the higher plane of purposeful so-bad-it’s-good that only few others can manage.
There is an unexpected richness to Dude Bro Party Massacre III that takes it beyond ironic fodder that you watch with your friends while drunk (a la The Room) into something genuinely funny and well executed that you could just as easily watch alone. No surprise then, that Dude Bro Party Massacre III is the brainchild of the guys behind 5 Second Films, who have been consistently tickling our funny parts online with their hilarious and often messed up videos since 2008. If you haven’t checked them out already, do so before you try Dude Bro Party Massacre III. Because the truth is that this film is a marathon of ironic and preposterous humour that may not appeal to everybody. However, if you love the internet, you’ll dig Dude Bro Party Massacre III, which is almost certain to become a cult hit in years to come.
Around the Staff:
| Felix Hubble |  |
| Dominic Barlow | |