What I presume is a high school AV club project by director Steve Rudzinski and co-writer Derek Rothermund, the no-budget slasher flick Everyone Must Die exhibits a good bit of enthusiasm and DIY effort (plus a looker, in the form of Nicole Beattie), but nothing in the way of performance, execution or imagination to distinguish it from the attempted giallo homage you and your stoner pals put together over the course of three summer weekends in 2007 after drunkenly watching a Scream marathon on DVD and discovering four boxes of Karo syrup out by the dumpster behind the grocery store.
The story revolves around a series of similar killings, all executed by a masked, black-clad killer. After it seems the serial killer is brutally stopped early on, Kyle (Nick LaManthia), the brother of one victim, becomes convinced that he in fact isn’t really dead. More murderous mayhem ensues, with the plot shifting to another town, and a group of kids who have come together to mourn the loss of their favorite hip-hop artist, MC Pink (Seth Joseph).
Slasher flick conventions (skulking camerawork, tight close-ups of screaming victims, requisite sets of soapy breasts) get a heavy workout, but flat staging and terrible acting (Rudzinski and Rothermund are also featured, in prominent roles) weigh down Everyone Must Die from the outset. Even more problematically, the movie’s forced attempts at laughs (there’s a character with an eggs obsession, and some gay humor) ring decidedly hollow — and that’s not even mentioning a post-credits tag that tries to send up Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. bits.
Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case, Everyone Must Die comes to DVD split into 19 chapters, presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, with an English language Dolby digital 2.0 audio track. Two audio commentary tracks anchor a solid slate of bonus features, and highlight the difficulties inherent in independent productions, where glitchy special effects work can undercut savings to time and money purchased by casting oneself.
There’s also includes a 23-minute making-of featurette, inclusive of chats with all of the movie’s cast and crew. Then, in addition to the trailer and five minutes of flubs and bloopers (a taped-down tablecloth still loses its battle with a light breeze), there are also two music videos — one for MC Pink’s “Cockfight,” and the other a slice of heavy metal named for the film, written and performed by Carson Mauthe. For more information, or to purchase Everyone Must Die on DVD or Blu-ray, visit the movie’s website by clicking here. F (Movie) C+ (Disc)
