Destroy All Neighbors

Movie Trailer

Release Date
January 12, 2024

Genre
Horror, Comedy, Splatter

Cast & Crew

• Jonah Ray as William Brown
• Kiran Deol as Emily
• Randee Heller as Eleanor Prescott
• Pete Ploszek as Alec
• DeMorge Brown as Phillip
• Jon Daly as Swig Anderson
• Thomas Lennon as Scott
• Christian Calloway as Auggie
• Alex Winter as Vlad
• Kumail Nanjiani as Smelting Refinery Guard
• Phil Hendrie as Police Captain Entenille
• Deanna Rooney as SWAT Team Officer

Director
Josh Forbes

Producer
Jonah Ray, Russell Sanzgiri, Alex Winter

Writer
Mike Benner, Jared Logan, Charles A. Pieper

Production Company

• Counterpart Pictures
• RLJE Films
• Shudder

Distributed By
RLJE Films, Shudder

Running Time
85 minutes

Languages
English

Maturity Rating
R (Restricted)

Content Advisory

• Graphic violence
• Strong language
• Dark humor

Movie Story
“Destroy All Neighbors” follows William Brown (Jonah Ray), a struggling sound engineer and aspiring musician living in a run-down apartment with his girlfriend, Emily (Kiran Deol). William has been obsessively working on a prog-rock album for three years but has failed to find an audience. Life takes a chaotic turn when his new neighbor, Vlad (Alex Winter), moves in. Vlad, an unstable Eastern European man, blasts loud electronic music at all hours, making life unbearable for William. Desperate for peace, William confronts Vlad, but the encounter goes horribly wrong. Vlad, in a bizarre accident with his homemade gym equipment, decapitates himself.

Panicking, William dismembers Vlad’s body and hides it in his bathtub. However, to his horror, Vlad inexplicably returns from the dead, taunting William by claiming to “live in his head rent-free.” As William struggles to figure out how to rid himself of the resurrected Vlad, things spiral further out of control. On his way to work, Vlad causes William to run over a vagrant outside the recording studio. William is devastated to learn that the vagrant is Swig Anderson (Jon Daly), a musician he idolized. Just like Vlad, Swig returns from the dead moments later, leaving William completely unnerved.

As William tries to dispose of both bodies in the woods, he returns home only to find that Eleanor (Randee Heller), the building manager, has electrocuted herself while fixing a fuse box. Feeling guilty because Eleanor had asked for his help earlier, William is plunged deeper into chaos. Tensions rise between him and Emily, who becomes increasingly frustrated with his obsession over his album and the strange events surrounding him. When Emily leaves, William faces an unexpected twist: Vlad, Swig, and the newly resurrected Eleanor decide to stay in his life, forcing him to form an unlikely friendship with his zombie neighbors.

In a bizarre turn of events, William bonds with his undead companions over drinks at Vlad’s apartment and shares his music with them. Much to his surprise, they love it. Things seem to improve until Phillip (DeMorge Brown), another neighbor, confronts William over the noise and attacks him. In self-defense, William accidentally kills Phillip, adding another body to the growing list of bizarre deaths. With the help of Eleanor and the other zombies, William decides to finish his album, using the undead to assist him in the recording studio. Despite the chaos, William finally completes his masterpiece with his new ghoulish bandmates.

Special Effects
“Destroy All Neighbors” embraces its splatter-horror roots with over-the-top practical effects. The graphic violence, including decapitations and dismemberments, is done in a comedic and exaggerated style, making the gore both shocking and humorous. The undead characters are portrayed with minimal CGI, relying on practical makeup effects to create their decayed and grotesque appearances.

Filming Locations

• Los Angeles, California

Notable Quotes

• “I live in your head rent-free now, buddy.” – Vlad
• “It’s hard to work on your magnum opus when the dead keep showing up uninvited.” – William Brown
• “Who knew the dead could have such good taste in music?” – Eleanor

Behind-the-Scenes
The film’s production began in July 2022, with Shudder and RLJE Films securing distribution. Director Josh Forbes collaborated with a team of writers to create a darkly comedic take on the horror-comedy genre. Jonah Ray, who also serves as a producer, played a key role in shaping the film’s tone, ensuring it struck a balance between horror and absurd humor.

Final Verdict
“Destroy All Neighbors” is a fun and wild ride through the world of splatter horror-comedy. Jonah Ray delivers a quirky performance as the beleaguered William Brown, whose life is turned upside down by his undead neighbors. With a mix of outrageous gore, slapstick humor, and a surprisingly heartfelt story about pursuing creative dreams, the film is a must-see for fans of cult horror comedies. Its unique blend of rock music, zombies, and chaos makes it a standout in the genre.

Image Source: Theatrical release poster