Mayhem (2017) - Shudder Spree

Streaming Services: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Mayhem (2017)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Circle of Confusion, Royal Viking Entertainment, ABS-CBN Film Productions, Falcon Films, Film1, New Select, Première TV Distribution, RLJ Entertainment, Source 1 Media, Studio Hamburg Enterprises (SHE)
Director: Joe Lynch
Writer: Matias Caruso
Actors: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand, Caroline Chikezie, Kerry Fox, Dallas Roberts, Mark Frost, Claire Dellamar, André Eriksen, Nikola Kent, Lucy Chappell, Olja Hrustic, Bojan Peric, Annamaria Serda, Jovana Prosenik, Nina Senicar, Irfan Mensur, Branko Jerinic, Zoran Miljkovic, Danica Radulovic, Eilian Wyn, Brendan Stokey, Ljubomir Todorovic, Monika Romic, Vladimir Aleksic, Scott Alexander Young
 
Blurb from IMDb: A virus spreads through an office complex causing white collar workers to act out their worst impulses.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
 
Joe Lynch (Knights of Badassdom, Chillerama, Point Blank) and Matias Caruso (Witch, The Dollmaker, Side Effects) took an idea that sounded a little zombie-like and turned it around so that there was just about no comparison. What I witnessed was super fresh and fun and phenomenal. I was 100% into it. I had to watch it a second time because I forgot to take notes.
 
There’s something about these shorter films that can be found on Shudder. The editors cut it down so tight that there’s no bullshit, no filler, no down time. You start the film and wind up on the edge of your seat for the entire thing. The last one I can think of was Host (2020), which was shorter than this one and just as perfect.
 
After reading the description, I was hoping for something over-the-top bloody and I got exactly what I wanted. I also expected some serious chuckles – I got that, too.
 
It was an action-packed ride of awesome, the whole time.
 
Now, let’s talk main actors.
 

I’m one of those people that saw Steven Yeun (Okja, Sorry to Bother You, Minari) as my reason to watch The Walking Dead (2010- ). Sure, part of it was because his character had the most relatable and interesting evolution arc. The rest of it, however, was because Yeun just has an incredible, but approachable, personality to him. Watching him act transports me into his world every time. He makes it feel real – whatever he’s playing.
 
Then there’s Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, The Babysitter, Ash vs Evil Dead). I can’t say enough about Weaving. She’s the scream queen the newer generations need. Like Yeun, she has a charisma to her that can’t be ignored – and it works particularly well in horrors and thrillers.
 
I’m guessing the first director that gave Weaving a horror job did it because of her scream. I understand that this sounds super creepy taken out of context, but she has a unique scream that I could identify her by. Seriously, I could be pick her out of line-up by it. It’s her signature. It’s pitchy and feels more realistic than a lot of screams you see from other actors in the kind of parts she plays.

I can’t find a single fault in Mayhem. They may be there, but for me – this movie goes hard and it is definitely what I was looking for out of my Shudder Spree.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
Eureka! We have a winner! I can’t tell you how excited I am that Mayhem lived up to my expectations for it – and then some.
 
Let’s get down to business.
 
Years ago, my friends and I explored a story where the characters lost all of their inhibitions – for good or ill. It was quite the treat to see something along the same lines brought to the screen, and by powerhouse actors such as Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving. I have been yearning to see Yeun kick ass in something ever since he exited The Walking Dead back in 2016. Weaving, on the other hand, has proven herself to be one of the new great scream queens of modern cinema.
 
I tend to watch a lot in the action genre. I love the thrill and adrenaline rush of it – watching the flow of fight choreography. It’s even better when there’s a solid story to go along with the combat, car chases, and the like. Mayhem is a very apt description for what takes place in this film, though it’s clear that the free-for-all had an excellent mind behind its direction. Some of the on-screen face-offs are silly, and others are outright diabolical. I was on the edge of my seat as the main characters fought their way through the office tower.
 

The corporate rat race is not a place that fosters peace of mind. Sometimes it feels like the workplace machine is just sucking the very life out of you. I can only imagine that some professions make it seem like pieces of your soul get carved away a little at a time, as well. Perhaps I’m still just a little bitter about the way things played out in the last job that I had in the corporate hamster wheel. All the same, I can identify with so much from movies like this one.
 
I know I’m not alone in feeling that somewhere deep down we all wish we could flip the finger to the upper echelon of the corporate grind. This film was rather cathartic in harmlessly playing that sort of fantasy out in this vicarious screen experience. (Seriously, kids don’t try this at home.)
 
By far, this is my favorite movie within our Shudder Spree so far – and I feel like it will be hard to top this. Of course, I intend to approach each film with an open mind. I’m just saying.
 
You can bet I’ll be steering anyone I can towards this title. This splatter-fest would be ideal for someone who wants something good and bloody for the Halloween season without the side-effect of second-guessing the things that go bump in the night.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 85%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%
Metascore – 62/100
Metacritic User Score – 7.2/10
IMDB Score – 6.4/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5
 
Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: R
 
Movie Trailer: