Buzzkill review
Drunk Nora is the hero we never knew we needed.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Buzzkill
Directed by Jem Garrard
Written by Suzanne Keilly
Starring Siena Agudong, Brec Bassinger and Aliyah’s Interlude
Buzzkill Review
Tubi has had a bit of a secret weapon up its sleeve when it comes to original horror releases. While there are still plenty of dismissible semi-horror entries…they have found a director who specializes in delivering above expectations. Jem Garrard delivered some quality low budget horror for the streamer with recent movies like Slay, Takeout and R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead. The last one has a sequel directed by Garrard arriving soon. But fist…we have Buzzkill. Another Tubi Original worth your time from a director who consistently delivers them.
Buzzkill is a movie that I think will appeal to slasher fans. I say that as a slasher fan, of course. It’s a murder mystery with a very fun twist. The kills aren’t the primary draw here…but the overall tone of the movie more than make up for the budgetary constraints. Nora (Siena Agudong) witnessed the murder of one of her sorority sisters. Trouble is…she can’t remember anything about it because she was drunk. The good news is that drinking helps her remember things. The bad news is that Drunk Nora leaves abstract and confusing clues that she can’t decipher once she’s sober.
The drunk gimmick here makes the movie. Agudong gives a really funny performance as the obsessed sleuth who can only make headway after a few shots. It’s worth the price of admission alone. Or…it would be if there was a price for admission. You just need to sit through a few ad breaks…watching the movie is free.
A separate issue locks the sorority members in their house with the masked killer…which both helps and hurts Nora’s investigation. Actually…it mostly helps but it doesn’t do any good for her sisters who get picked off one by one. As I mentioned…the kills aren’t the reason to watch Buzzkill. The movie does what it can in that department. What it does really well is give us some fun characters and very funny situations. Drunk Nora is one of the best protagonists we’ve seen in a while. Having to keep herself inebriated to figure out her clues while a killer is roaming about works really well as a plot device. She’s right, of course…but she can’t retain the knowledge that tells her why that is. Or who is doing this.
Now…I did figure out who the killer was before the movie revealed it…but I was at an advantage. I was not drunk when I watched it. One of the clues Drunk Nora leaves herself (and us) tipped me off…as it was supposed to. Because the fun of Buzzkill isn’t just being a whodunnit…it’s whether or not Nora is ever going to be in a condition to figure out what she already knows.
The rest of the cast understands what the movie is going for. We have some sorority archetype characters here…and they all work because the heightened situation makes them part of the fun. Buzzkill does threaten to feel like it’s going to start dragging at times in its second act…but it always finds another shot of adrenaline to keep it moving forward. It gets everything that it can out of its premise…slashing up sorority sisters and drunkenly solving the crimes as they happen.
Buzzkill leaves itself open for a sequel. Actually…it practically demands one. It doesn’t just leave a loose thread or two dangling…it actively sets up another chapter in the story. But it doesn’t do so at the cost of delivering a perfectly acceptable ending here. Because Buzzkill was about Nora solving the mystery. The movie definitively does that. But it also leaves off in a place where you figure they already knew this wasn’t going to be a one off. And I genuinely hope that it isn’t. This is a fun movie that adds another notch in Jem Garrard’s belt as the Tubi Original whisperer. We only have to wait a couple of weeks for R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2 to see if the streak continues. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long for a sequel to Buzzkill as well.
Horror comedy fans should enjoy this Tubi offering. Slasher fans should appreciate the fun twist it puts on a familiar concept. And, honestly, anyone who enjoys a really fun performance should hit play to watch Siena Agudong play Drunk Nora. It’s funny every single time. Slurred speeches and stumbling through active murder scenes in search of a truth that is locked away in her memory…Drunk Nora is the hero we never knew we needed.
Scare Value
Tubi’s model is such that I feel it easy to recommend Buzzkill to everyone. It doesn’t cost anything to start up and see if you like what it’s doing. If you get to the first Drunk Nora tries to unlock her memory scene and don’t dig it…just click on something else. But if you’re looking for a fun watch with good vibes…Buzzkill is definitely in the upper echelon of Tubi Originals to watch this spooky season.
3.5/5
Buzzkill Link
Streaming on Tubi
