I wish I was able to view Murder Made Easy in November because it’s a cornucopia of flavors that melted into a delicious dinner recipe of success. At first, I honestly didn’t think I was going to enjoy it, but as time went on I saw what writer Tim Davis and director Dave Palamaro were trying to accomplish. The best way I can describe Murder Made Easy is American Psycho meets Clue; a quirky murder mystery with all sorts of false flags and insidious traps. In the film, Joan (Jessica Graham) and Michael (Christopher Soren Kelly) invite their closest and dearest friends over for dinner to discuss the passing of Joan’s husband, Neil. As each guest arrives, so do dark secrets and their revelations always end up with the same consequence – death! Daniel Ahearn, Emilia Richeson, Edmund Lupinski, Sheila Cutchlow and Paul Rose Jr. also star in this dark drama that adds a new twist to the subgenre.
Murder Made Easy is what I call a high class horror film. Though its characters, locations, and set decorations are high quality and glamorous, cinematographer Sherri Kauk did an enchanting job making the film look appealing to a slightly older generation. The film looks like it was shot as a romantic comedy or a 1990’s sitcom, and that actually kind of fits the mold when you look at some of the wacky story content. The crystal clear picture quality conveyed just the right amount of complacency while giving off the air that the shit could hit the fan at any moment. I don’t think Murder Made Easy is going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely a movie you can enjoy with a friend or two while consuming several bottles of wine. Going back to the overall appeal again, this one isn’t a slasher or bloodbath, so it allows the viewer to engage in the story instead of leading them on a series of jump scares. And that is, sometimes, my definition of fun.
Instead of typical horror movie stereotypes, Murder Made Easy gives the viewers the characters based on job titles with personalities and exteriors to match. You’ll get to meet a snob, a hippy, a photographer and a psychiatrist; who all fall victim to a series of unfortunate deaths at the hands of Joan and Michael. I will say that Cricket (played by Emilia Richeson) was probably my favorite character. Funny, charismatic and reminded me of Baby Spice from The Spice Girls. Interestingly enough, each of the characters are served a different dinner, which caters and represents each of their personas. It’s little touches like that, reading and seeing between the lines, that can make a movie like Murder Made Easy into a thematic experience and not just a typical murder mystery.
However, all was not perfect here. First, I’d recommend using better scores in the future. Scores and backing tracks can really make or break a film and the ones used here were amateurish. They just didn’t fit in such a high class production. Secondly, while the script did incorporate characters with substance, themes and subtle superior designs, and a not so bloody series of deaths, it all became a little wash, rinse, repeat by the third kill sequence. Character enters, character has drinks, character has dinner, character is murdered, and a new character comes in. Murder Made Easy contains one very big plot twist, but the preceding repetition almost dulled its effect. Finally, the lead actress was almost too wooden by the end of this feature film. There’s a difference between coming off cold and calculated, and coming off bored.
Murder Made Easy is currently enjoying success in the film festival circuit and I’m glad it’s doing well there. I believe it’ll be a worthy addition to any independent distributor’s catalogue. Market it correctly to murder mystery and slow burn horror fans and this could do just as well on DVD. Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.
