Sunday, May 15, 2011

Killer Yacht Party dvd review



Lacy is a Los Angeles party girl and her best friend Jane is a shy girl who has just moved to the area for a fresh start and to try to get her songwriting career off the ground. After a night of partying at an exclusive club they get an invitation to attend a private yacht party the next night. After some coaxing by Lacy, Jane agrees to be her "wing man". After hearing some murmurs about the boat's tragic past there is a slight buzz amongst the crowd but it quickly fades as the booze starts to flow. Everything seems to be going okay until some of the self centered party goers make decisions they wish they could take back and it quickly becomes apparent that there is a killer on the loose. Is the killer someone on the boat or is it a former owner from beyond?

KILLER YACHT PARTY was filmed in 2006 by director Piotr Uzarowicz and is his feature film debut. While the movie is a simple slasher, with a foreseeable twist, it is pretty decent fare for the genre. It has most of the staples you'd expect from a Friday The 13th or any 80s slasher that rose to prominence twenty years ago. It has the creepy old man who prophesies blood shed, the killer with an array of weapons and gratuitous nudity. There is surprisingly decent acting performances from top to bottom. The direction gets the job done, though during most of the kills they edit in black frames. Imagine a slow strobe light effect. That was a bit annoying when you are trying to watch the meat and potatoes of a slasher film. Even if it isn't as fun as watching Jason Voorhees stalk through the woods or Freddy haunt your dreams KILLER YACHT PARTY was a surprisingly entertaining movie. I think the fact that there are so few likable characters that watching everybody die is a pleasure.

Troma has released KILLER YACHT PARTY in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen print which has a nice clean picture throughout with only a few scenes being overly hazy looking. A Dolby Digital stereo handles the audio side of things and aside from being quiet (you'll have to jack up the volume) it is clear and mixed well. The A/V quality won't win any awards but there isn't anything that will take you out of the movie because of frustration. The extra features side of things bring us a commentary track from the director and writer which is informative and doesn't have much down time at all. Some information is repeated but the majority of the time they are giving us solid insight into the cast/crew and the production of the movie. Troma also gives us a trailer, a slideshow which is just filler and the same set of "Tromatic Extras" that was on the previously reviewed Eyes Of The Chameleon. The only problem I have with the disc itself is that is nearly impossible to see which option you have chosen on any menu. The lettering is an off white color that is very close to white and whatever option you have chosen highlights to white. It is a real pain in the ass to try and figure out which you're on. Literally any other color would have worked fine.

This isn't typical Troma fare, but it isn't a red-headed step child either. I'll recommend this one for Troma enthusiasts and slasher fans.

Director - Piotr Uzarowicz (2006)
Writer- Alex Silver
DVD Release Date - May 10, 2011

Film - 5/10
DVD Presentation- 6/10

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