Spoiler Warning: Bodies Bodies Bodies
Who doesn’t love a good horror movie kill? Whether the simple slash of a sociopathic villain or a more convoluted method of life-ending torture, visually appealing and thematically resonant murderers are the backbone of any decent horror flick. A good death, though inherently macabre, can do any number of things for a movie. It can strike fear into the hearts of audiences, provide motivation for a character to engage with a menacing foe, or even, in certain circumstances, during films that skirt the line between horror and comedy, make audiences laugh against their better moral judgment.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Bodies Bodies Bodies, a recently released dark comedy directed by Halina Reijn, continues this grand tradition of highlighting wild deaths in horror films. The movie centers around a group of twenty-somethings who hunker down in a multi-million dollar mansion during a raging hurricane. When they decide to play the party game that inspired the film’s name, “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” which is essentially hide-and-seek with murderous themes, one of the party-goers winds up with his throat slashed. This (ironically) puts all the young partiers at each other’s throats as they attempt to discover which one of them is the killer. The investigation quickly turns violent, and one by one, the film’s characters wind up dead at the hands of their peers.
Here are some death scenes audiences never saw coming in Bodies Bodies Bodies.
David’s Early Departure and the Subsequent Twist
Pete Davidson is likely the most famous member of Bodies Bodies Bodies’ cast. As such, the brutal death scene of his character David, which happened surprisingly early in the film, was an effective means of establishing the film’s macabre tone. The power goes out while the partiers are playing “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” and Maria Bakalova’s (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Bubble) Bee finds David dead from a cut on his throat and a bloodstained sword nearby.
RELATED: Why A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies Could Be This Summer’s Camp Classic
David’s film brings about the rest of the film’s plot, which makes it all the more shocking when his murderer, or rather, the lack thereof, is revealed. Near the end of the film, Amandla Stenberg’s (The Hunger Games, Dear Evan Hansen) Sophie and Bee, who are a couple, are the only two characters that remain in the mansion. Bee holds Sophie at gunpoint, demanding her phone, and when a scramble for the gun ensues, they accidentally pick up the deceased David’s phone.
The phone plays a video of David attempting to cut off the top of a champagne battle with a sword and slicing his own throat in the process, which ultimately invalidates every death in the film.
The Confrontation Between Bee and Greg
Rachel Sennott’s (High Maintenance, Shiva Baby) Alice, an aloof podcaster, brings her dramatically older boyfriend, Lee Pace’s (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel) Greg, to the hurricane party. In the investigation that ensues after David’s death, a knife is discovered in Greg’s bag, and he immediately becomes the primary suspect.
RELATED: Why Pete Davidson Could Be the Next Big Stoner Comedian
When Bee questions Greg about David’s death, he quickly becomes aggressive, and Bee bludgeons him with a kettlebell. This is one of the most violent kills in the film and is entirely unexpected coming from the generally docile Bee. Additionally, this death sets up one of the best jokes in the movie, when it is revealed that Greg, who was much-maligned by the other party-goers, is not a war veteran but rather a veterinary technician.
The Four-Way Gun Grab and a Jarring End for Alice
A while after her boyfriend is bludgeoned to death, Alice is also killed in the violent, mistrust-fueled melee at the mansion. Sophie, driven insane by the violence of the evening, tells Alice that she only hate-listens to her podcast. Later, Alice mocks the parents of Myha’la Herrold’s (The Book of Mormon, Modern Love) Jordan, and Jordan promptly shoots her in the leg.
Alice getting shot strikes fear into the hearts of the remaining women, who all leap to try and gain control of the firearm. In the ensuing chaos, the gun goes off, and Alice is shot directly in the throat. The scene is jarring and bloody and seems to serve as a metaphor for Alice’s podcasting career and love of her voice.
Though Bodies Bodies Bodies has all the trappings of a modern slasher, its clever plot and twisted reveals seem to have drawn inspiration from the work of mystery novelist Agatha Christie. The film combines a complex mystery with all the flirty fun of a young adult party flick. If you are not averse to seeing a fair bit of blood on the big screen, this movie is the perfect thrill ride. Just try not to get too attached to any of the characters.
