‘Hostile. Work. Environment.’
Mayhem is a 2017 comedy thriller film directed by Joe Lynch (Suitable Flesh; Knights of Badassdom; Wrong Turn 2: Dead Again; Chillerama “Zom-B-Movie” segment) from a screenplay written by Matias Caruso.
The movie stars Steven Yuen (The Walking Dead), Samara Weaving (Ready or Not; The Babysitter; Monster Trucks; Ash vs Evil Dead) and Steven Brand (Demons; Teen Wolf; Echoes).
Plot:
A mystery ‘red eye’ virus infects a corporate law office on the day attorney Derek Saunders (Yeun) is framed by a co-worker and wrongfully fired. The infection is capable of making people act out their wildest impulses, leading to acts of uncontrolled violence.
Trapped in the quarantined building, Saunders is forced to savagely fight tooth and nail for not only his job but his life…
RLJ Entertainment is releasing Mayhem in select cinemas and VOD and Digital HD platforms on November 10, 2017. Mayhem streamed on Shudder in early 2018.
Review:
” …there’s just so much to appreciate here that it’s difficult to imagine someone not having fun with the film. Thanks to its likable protagonists, relatable themes, sharp editing, synthy score, and incredible soundtrack of licensed music, Mayhem is an absolute blast and should not be missed by anyone with an affinity for intense genre cinema.” Cinema Slasher
“The movie would be first to admit its main attraction is touted in the title. Mayhem invests most of its metaphoric money in violent stocks, bloody bonds, and a mutual fund of muah-ha-ha black humor. If it is balls-to-the-wall brutality you want, Mayhem has you covered.” Culture Crypt
“So fast on its feet that it’s almost out of control, Mayhem is a tight little package that hugs all its curves, and tucks in a surprise or two … or three. Don’t expect great emotional depth — that’s not what the movie is about; it’s about watching two people fight and claw their way to the top, with humor, smarts, and a nail gun.” Screen Anarchy
“Mayhem may be a simple, straightforward genre mash-up in many respects, but it also offers more than a few well-earned chuckles and it rockets forward with such reckless enthusiasm that it’s hard to not get caught up in the ultra-violent insanity. If you take it too seriously, for even a few minutes, you’ll ruin the whole experience.” Nerdist
” …where normally pointless scenes of boring nothingness are inserted in so as to pad out the parts where the budget has been squeezed dry, Mayhem fills every inch of the screen with some sort of carnage, making this a highly enjoyable, if draining experience, and one, that with a larger pool of money afforded to it, would become the high octane masterwork it aspires to be. File this under R for relentless.” Horror Talk
“There’s plenty of blood and gore galore in Mayhem but the slick, tongue-in-cheek presentation makes the gore palatable and entertaining, to the point you will wonder whether you’ve finally been 100% desensitized to violence. I mean, it’s almost certain I was desensitized long ago but I’m telling myself my tolerance for Mayhem’s gore was a result of not being invested in the characters.” @ssholes Watching Movies
“It opens with a narrated montage, then crams in exposition and set-up before the bug strikes – there are parallels with the smaller group of trapped possible infectees in the similarly broad and misanthropic The Bar – then does gruesome spot gags for a while before getting to the actual plot. Weariness sets in after the fifth or sixth stabbing, though.” The Kim Newman Website
“If you can get through that initial stretch of set-up, and maybe you’ll have a higher tolerance for the business talk and expository narration than I did, the movie does reward you with some gleeful bloodshed and amusing scenarios.” Arrow in the Head
More Joe Lynch movies:
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