A serial killer finds himself out of his element when he accompanies his girlfriend to a family dinner in the hopes of impressing her eccentric parents.
I had the great pleasure of seeing this gem recently, a comedy horror short made in the style of classic sitcoms of the 70's and 80's. There are many little nods to classic sitcom throughout the piece, including a canned laughter track, silly puns and a general sense of fun. However the humor is devilishly dark and wonderful, adding in a touch of horror to spice up proceedings.
I adored this horror short, and I also adore the people involved in the making of this movie, but please let the record state that I would have loved it even if I didn't know them, This short has such a fun and dark feel throughout, the performances are wonderfully campy (as they should be for this type of feature), and you can feel how much fun it would have been to work on Dinner With The Dwyers.
The chemistry between all 4 key players is electric, they work very well together and it never once feels forced or awkward as some comedy horror shorts can feel at times. Playing Nora Dwyer is much loved Scream Queen Felissa Rose, who plays the role with devilish glee encapsulating the role of Cougar Mom perfectly. As many people know Felissa from Sleepaway Camp there is a wonderful reference to this within the movie, I won't give it away, but fans of Sleepaway will spot the joke instantly, and it's a corker!
Playing Peter Dwyer is Marv Blauvelt. I have seen Marv in various movies and shorts over the years and always thought he was wonderful, and the same applies to this movie too. He plays the part of the Inventor Father well and believable, with a slight hint of madness that may shine through towards the end of the picture.
Playing Debbie Dwyer, daughter of Peter & Nora is Tiffani Fest. Tiffani plays the role of the long suffering daughter wonderfully, she is likable and on some scary level, strangely relatable, although that probably says more about me.
Debbie's boyfriend is played by Jared Degado. I have known of Jared for a while now, and always thought that he was one of the most beautiful specimens of manhood ever to walk the earth, in his role of Max he shows that he is also a damn good straight man to the comedy madness that goes on around him. Plot wise you would think that Max would be the one that is most out there (you will understand when you watch the movie), but this is where this short shines, it's all twisted on it's head. Not only does the poor guy have to fend off the amorous advances of Nora, he also is part of one of the most surreal family meals ever committed to film.
Yes, this review does sound like a love-in and I am fully aware of that. However it's absolutely true, I adored this movie. Possibly the most fun 10 minutes I have spent in a long time. I watched it 3 times in a row and it got funnier and more genius the more I watched it. Yes I am Felissa's biggest fan, however I don't lie. This movie is alot of fun. Seek it out, i'm sure you will be very pleasantly surprised!
