The retro affection for slasher films has been the gift that keeps on giving for shot-on-video horror fans, and one of the wildest variations came in 2015 with the very funny (and very gory) Dude Bro Party Massacre III. In the tradition of Surf 2, it's a sequel to films that don't actually exist and basically functions as a nonstop gag machine riffing on '80s and '90s college movies as well as whodunit slashers complete with a stern cop played by none other than Patton Oswalt, one of the film's Kickstarter supporters. In keeping with that idea, almost all of the film was shot on digital video or VHS and then dubbed down multiple times to help sell it as a nearly lost film whose copies were all destroyed via edict from President Reagan. The road to creating this film was an odd one since it started as a web short from comedy filmmaking collective 5 Second Films, who expanded it into a fake trailer and then crowdfunded their way to making it a feature-length reality launched out into the world.

Prone to pulling pranks with large-scale consequences, the fraternity of Delta Bi has been targeted by a deranged house mother who, a la Pamela Voorhees, is succeeded in slashing by her daughter who uses her dead parent's skin to become the dreaded Motherface. After the second film's body count spirals out of control, Motherface seems to be dispatched but has now resurfaced as a phony therapist who murders onetime final boy Brock (Owen). To uncover the culprit, Brock's twin brother, Brent (also Owen), joins the boisterous Delta Bi and bonds with the bizarre collection of frat bros including Turbeaux (Prado), Nedry (Salmon), Derek (The Room's Sestero), Todd (Scoma), and Samzy (Gigli), among others, all of whom along with their girlfriends become potential additions to Motherface's body count as they embark into the wilderness.

Barely coherent as a plot but also never dull for a second, Dude Bro Party Massacre III manages to throw in some fun cameos (Nina Hartley!) and a few moments of outright genius, such as a hilarious escalating gag involving subtitles that won't be spoiled here. As you would expect there's a lot of bare skin here, though since it involves a frat, that means the considerable toplessness seen in the recap gives way to the expected homoerotic gags that go with the territory. As a period piece this benefits a lot from the VHS aesthetic, though it also stumbles into that pitfall of many faux '80s productions -- really bad fake wigs that look nothing like the period. Overall though it's totally charming and a great party film to throw on, especially if you're a slasher fan who will get all the jokes.

Initially released as a digital option (including an exclusive VHS-free viewing option that probably isn't half as fun) and separate Blu-ray and DVD editions from Nevermore, this film got a much-expanded special edition as a two-disc Blu-ray from Dekanalog in late 2024 (though an authoring hiccup on the second disc led to a fixed replacement in early 2025). Obviously this is going to be limited by the source material, but it looks accurate enough here with very lo-fi detail and colors throughout. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 English options both sound solid with some decent separation, and optional English SDH subtitles are provided. You get two audio commentaries here, the first one very brisk and funny with cast members Ben Gigli, Kelsey Gunn, Alec Owen, Mike James, and Olivia Taylor Dudley, all of whom have excellent recall and spill plenty of stories from the set. The second one features the four filmmakers, who don't identify themselves and all sound very similar (so good luck identifying who's talking!). It's a lot looser and harder to follow, but there are some decent riffs in here as well. The second disc is devoted to all the video bonus features including "It Came from the Internet" (20m12s, 21m55s, 25m55s, 16m54s), a mammoth new four-part doc about the making of the film from conception to fundraising to production to its release and legacy. "The Kill Count" (33m29s) is an amusing overview of the film's inception and a rundown of its astronomical body count, including the faux recap at the beginning. You also get some fun blackout shorts tied to the film including "Brock Teaches You Dancing" (1m11s) and "Derek Teaches You French" (1m26s), a 7m37s storyboard to film comparison, deleted and extended scenes and outtakes (1m8s, 2m35s, 1m35s, and 1m3s), the real trailer, the original fake trailer (kudos for the alternate title overlaid at the bottom), and an 18m7s reel of 5 Second Short highlights.

Reviewed on February 13, 2025