GROUPERS is a new dark revenge comedy with a deliciously gay twist. The tagline is “Homophobia is so totally gay!” which should tell you what kind of movie this is. I really loved the beginning which showed definite potential. Read more in our full Groupers review here!

Groupers is a new movie in the dark revenge comedy drama hybrid genre. The plot has a deliciously gay twist and the first half of the movie just made me smile and laugh. However, the final part did ruin it a bit for me. Not in the sense that it was bad, but rather that it didn’t maintain the very impressive beginning.

Also, it is actually a bit too long for my taste. Most good comedies (especially when you incorporate horror or slasher elements) need to keep a tight runtime. This one loses its way and changes in ways that I personally did not enjoy.

Read more in our full Groupers review below.

Nicole Dambro is a true scene-stealer!

The movie opens with Nicole Dambro’s character, Meg, kidnapping two young men. Sure, they’re supposed to be high schoolers, but do actually look a bit older. Something that might be a good thing considering what they’ll be exposed to next.

Nicole Dambro is all kinds of awesome as Meg. She’s sassy, funny, whipsmart and brutal in all the right ways. If she looks familiar to her, you may have seen her in The Axiom og Pitchfork. The movie Pitchfork have quite a bit in common with Groupers. Both feature a storyline directly related to someone being gay. 

Also read: Our review of the LGBTQ-themed slasher movie Pitchfork here >

However, while Pitchfork is a classic slasher movie, Groupers is more of a psychological terror deal. The two men who have been kidnapped are homophobic bullies who need to be taught a lesson. And Meg (Nicole Dambro) has a pretty excellent way of teaching them this important lesson.

Groupers (2019) Review

A story that keeps building

For me, the plot of Groupers sounds great on paper and is actually really great throughout the first half of the movie. The thing that changes for the final half is the introduction of several new characters. This didn’t really make the movie any better for me. 

Instead, the important and funny focus of Groupers was watered down in all the wrong ways. I don’t want to be too harsh since I did honestly enjoy this movie overall. I’m just a bit miffed that I loved the first part and ended up just watching the final part without feeling as engaged.

The main plot of teaching some homophobic brats a lesson is awesome and funny. It might sound like a heavy subject, but it’s dealt with in a surprisingly earnest way. The scenes with just Nicole Dambro (Meg, the kidnapper) and the two “victims”, Brad and Dylan, were really good.

For the record, this does also mean I enjoyed the performances of Peter Mayer-Klepchick as Brad and Cameron Duckett as Dylan. The two are very different and almost towards a Beavis and Butt-Head style, but it worked for the purpose of this story.

Groupers (2019) Review

Feature film debut for Anderson Cowan

Groupers is the feature film debut for Anderson Cowan as both a director and writer. However, this isn’t the first time making movies for Anderson Cowan since he has made quite a lot of short films since beginning in 2000.

For me, Nicole Dambro is definitely the reason to watch Groupers. She’s awesome as the kidnapper in this story and I loved every scene she was in. Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of scenes in the final half that doesn’t feature her. She is part of the entire movie, but not nearly enough.

If you enjoy dark comedies with some brutal plot points, then make sure you check out Groupers. Even if I wasn’t happy with the final half, I truly enjoyed the first half. Also, I do actually think a lot of people will enjoy the whole thing, so give it a shot.

Groupers kicks off its theatrical run in Los Angeles September 27, 2019 before opening in every other city October 1, 2019.

Details

Director: Anderson Cowan
Stars: Nicole Dambro, Peter Mayer-Klepchick, Cameron Duckett, Jesse Pudles, Brian Ioakimedes, Travis Stanberry, Max Reed III, Terrance Wentz, Marqus Bobesich, Edward Jackson

Plot

Two all-American, homophobic high school bullies are kidnapped, drugged and awaken tied up face to face in
an abandoned pool. Absurdity and insanity ensue as we learn that a seductive grad student is behind the
kidnaping and plans to perform a psychological and somewhat sadistic experiment on them.

A string of outlandish characters, including a one-eyed street thug and a philosophical squatter get caught up
in this odd tale of revenge while bringing their own, ambiguous motives (and opinions) to the party as they
pontificate whether homosexuality is a choice.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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