A thriller with a twist, 2018’s Monster Party introduces us to three young thieves. In need of money, Casper (Sam Strike), Iris (Virginia Gardner) and Dodge (Brandon Micheal Hall) target the extravagant Malibu mansion owned by Patrick (Julian McMahon) and Roxanne Dawson (Robin Tunney).

The burglars pose as caterers for a fancy shindig at the Dawson home, but matters take a dark turn. It turns out that the Dawsons host a party for recovering serial killers, and this leads to an unexpected threat.

That’s what we call a “high concept” idea for a film, one with an easily communicated gimmicky theme. “Thieves get trapped in a house of serial killers” sounds like a potentially fun idea for a thriller.

“Potentially fun” becomes the best I can say about Party, though, as it lacks in terms of execution. Oddly slow and disjointed, the movie rambles and fails to find any real drama in its events.

Some of the problems stem from the over the top depiction of the characters. From the very start, the film telegraphs the ways in which the murderers are “off”, so we know something’s up right off the bat.

This prevents the real development of tension. Because nothing seems normal, we’re stuck in an environment devoid of terror or drama.

The film’s score doesn’t help, as its desperate attempts to sell the material instead rob the film of impact. With relentless, strident tones, and t music acts as a distraction.

Not that I think a more subdued score would help, as the basic execution remains problematic. The plot of Party acts to draw in the viewer, but the end result fails to entertain.

Monster Party appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a largely positive presentation.

For the most part, sharpness seemed solid. Occasional instances of softness materialized, but these remained fairly modest.

I saw no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects. Both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

To the surprise of no one, Party opted for a standard orange and teal palette. The hues worked fine within those constraints, though they could’ve been a bit peppier.

Blacks appeared pretty deep and dense, while shadows seemed clear and concise. I thought the image worked fine, though it lacked the qualities it needed to become great.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added breadth to the experience. The movie didn’t deliver a consistently rock-em-sock-em soundscape, but it managed to open up well.

A few louder sequences – usually connected to action beats – made more dynamic use of the spectrum, but those didn’t pop up with great frequency. Instead, the emphasis on general environment remained, and that was fine, as I felt the soundfield fit the material.

Audio quality always pleased. Speech remained natural and concise, with no edginess or other flaws.

Music sounded full and dynamic, while effects came across as accurate and clear. All of this suited the film and earned a solid “B”.

The disc opens with ads for Mayhem, Mandy, and All Cheerleaders Die. No trailer for Monster Party - or any other extras – appear here.

Despite an intriguing plot, Monster Party lacks dramatic impact. It attempts terror and thrills but seems so overwrought that it fails to achieve its goals. The Blu-ray offers generally positive picture and audio but it lacks supplements. Party becomes a forgettable dud.