Welcome witches and warlocks,

Today I will be reviewing the horror/comedy DOUBLE DATE by director Benjamin Barfoot.  To best describe the story, I will use my own plot summary:

“Awkward Jim and his player friend Alex go on a double date with two girls in the hopes of getting Jim to lose his virginity before he turns thirty.  The catch?  These two girls have much bloodier plans in mind for their evening out.”

To begin with, this is a lot of fun.  At first I thought the humor was fine, but as it went on they kept layering in more funny bits that had me giggling.  Of particular note in the cringe comedy category is the moment where our main character Alex goes round to his parent’s house so that they can help him celebrate his birthday.  This moment, and a less comedic moment I will get to, was nearly worth the cost of entry all by itself as it built upon the character while still providing lots of humor.

One of the main strengths of this feature is the well placed characterizations.  At the start, most of the roles seem pretty stock, but as we move along there are some wonderful moments that add a lot of depth to the characters.  By the end of the feature, every single person in the cast is given a chance to shine in some form or another; whether it be showing off their physical prowess or displaying their emotional fragility.

Speaking of physical prowess, I would be a crap reviewer if I did not mention the fantastic fight sequence.  This scene combined with the aforementioned parent’s house scene was a true highlight of this movie.  The use of hand to hand combat combined with the fast paced cinematography made this a thrilling moment from the first punch to the last crush.  It was also a rather amusing brawl that was probably longer than anyone could rationally believe and kept getting more and more ridiculous as it went along.

From a production standpoint they really knocked it out of the park with the look and feel of this feature.  The comic book style opening credits set the mood perfectly while providing a bit of backstory for our two femme fatales.  As things went along, the cinematography worked wonders during the more fast paced bits, but was not afraid to linger during the character moments.  Surprisingly, the score proved to be dynamic enough to balance all of the humor, horror, and action without seeming to break a sweat.

All in all, this is a slim, effective horror comedy with good production values.  The characters are all provided at least one or two moments to really shine while the script remains fun throughout.  Fans of movies like 68 Kill (2017) or Shaun of the Dead (2004) will feel right at home in this horror/comedy.

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Craig Thayer

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