THE GOOD DIE SUNG
BAD KARAOKE (15)
Director: Chris Lightbody, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.
Screenplay: Chris Lightbody, Spencer Yaras
Starring: Kat Cunning, Kate Miner, Lexi Underwood
Running time: 83 minutes
VOD
Review: RJ Bland
Music has always been a vital part of horror. As far back as 1922, Nosferatu may have been a “silent” film, but it premiered with a live orchestral score, demonstrating just how important music was to the cinematic experience even in the earliest days of the genre. For more than a century, filmmakers have used music to establish atmosphere, build tension and, of course, accentuate those all-important jump scares. Strip the score from most horror films and their effectiveness is immediately diminished.
But what about horror films in which music itself is integral to the story? These are considerably harder to find, but there are some notable examples. Berberian Sound Studio (2012), for instance, centres on a sound engineer whose increasingly disturbing work on a horror film begins to blur the line between the sounds he is creating and the violence behind them. The Lords of Salem (also 2012) takes things in a more supernatural direction, with a mysterious record triggering horrific visions and satanic revelations. Music has also played a central role in films such as Deathgasm (2015), Green Room (2015) and Lords of Chaos (2018), each using heavy metal, punk or the wider music scene as more than simply background dressing. The music becomes part of the identity, atmosphere and, in some cases, the very mechanics of the horror itself.
We've also had a few horror musicals...although they're a different matter altogether. Cursed songs, sinister records, rock bands and metal music have all had their moments in horror, but they remain a surprisingly small part of the genre. Bad Karaoke (directed by Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.) - a film about a bloodthirsty karaoke machine terrorising a travelling wedding cover band - is probably about as music-oriented as horror is likely to get.
It's a long drive from Portland to Napa and the members of cover band The Nunu are already getting on each other's nerves. They're heading to California to play at a wedding, but first they've got an overnight stop at a cabin. Emily (Lexi Underwood), the band's keyboardist, is an aspiring songwriter who dreams of playing her own music, although band leader Hannah (Kat Cunning) would much rather they stick to the tried-and-tested hits. Emily's best friend Noah (Case Walker – who looks a lot like a young Ryan Phillipe) is firmly in her corner, while Hannah's girlfriend Ava and the unpredictable Logan round out the group, along with Logan's friend Matt. So, yes, tensions are already simmering.
When the group stop at a dive bar along the way, Emily discovers an old karaoke machine called 'Song-A-Ling' tucked away in the back. It's an absolute eyesore, but the bartender is more than happy to let her have it. Why wouldn't he? It's free! And what's the worst that could happen? Well, quite a lot, actually - as witnessed in the opening prologue. Once they arrive at the cabin, they decide to give their new acquisition a whirl. The group are having a great time until the machine starts dishing out life and death demands...
As someone who detests karaoke, I can confirm that you don't have to enjoy karaoke to enjoy Bad Karaoke (ha, what a sentence). It's the sort of high-concept, low-budget, entertaining B-movie schlock that used to be commonplace in the 80s. The charm of many of those films was that, beneath the absurdity, they seemed remarkably earnest, taking themselves relatively seriously on the surface. That made the outrageous gore and increasingly ridiculous antics all the more charming and amusing. Bad Karaoke adopts much the same approach. Yes, the concept is absurd, and yes, the effects and gore are laughably over-the-top, but our characters largely accept their situation and play it relatively straight. Thankfully, there's very little of the smarmy, referential, winking-at-the-audience stuff that can make these kinds of films tiresome very quickly.
What also helps is that the characters aren't annoying as hell. Gen Zers can sometimes be portrayed in an unfairly grating way and, although we get words and phrases like "socials", "viral", "slaps" and "we got you" littered throughout (God, I sound old), these are still a decent bunch to spend time with. Sure, there are plenty of poor decisions being made, but that's part of the fun. They're all pretty broadly drawn, and some of their attempts at comedy don't always land, particularly in the first half, but importantly, we don't really want to see these characters die. Even amid all the early bickering, there's no real bitchiness within the group, and they've genuinely got each other's backs. The central performances are perfectly serviceable. They're not bad enough for the film to feel like low-budget slop, but they're not polished enough to strip away its B-movie charm either.
Bad Karaoke also commits completely to its concept, for better or worse. Song-A-Ling is a wonderfully realised villain, complete with a permanent scowl and glowing red eyes. We get plenty of singing too, as our characters are forced to perform for their own survival, but thankfully, it never quite tips over into full-blown "musical" territory. There are some enjoyably gross and comical scenes punctuating the carnage too, with our personal favourite involving one character having his heart ejected from his body and promptly dying. One of his mates then puts the heart back into his chest cavity and starts performing CPR in an attempt to revive him. At one point, someone even phones the police and tells them, "My friend got murdered by a karaoke machine and you need to come right away." That's the vibe you're dealing with here.
And how much you dig Bad Karaoke will ultimately come down to that. If you're not a fan of silly, over-the-top, cheap B-movie thrills, this probably won't be your thing. The final act does get bogged down in exposition, while the ending feels rather rushed. Some of the attempts at humour involving a blind character also feel outdated and unnecessary.
Aside from all the hilarious gore and schlock, there's also some attempt at commentary surrounding originality versus imitation in art, which is kind of cool. But mostly, this is a film about gross-out kills, ludicrous situations and deliberately silly comedy. And there's just about enough of all three to make it a fun little watch.
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