THE CHICKEN PARTY stars Megumi Kabe and Ami Shimada as sisters Koume and Sakura Watanabe. In the US for the first time, the two get lost, and wind up being invited to the event of the title. After a few days of sightseeing and shopping, they decide to go to the party.
One good thing about this movie is the character development of the Watanabe sisters. They have an actual story, and time is taken to allow it to emerge. This makes us feel comfortable with them, before the peril takes place. There is much debate over whether they should even attend the party at all, rather than simply plunging into it like most of the bubble-heads in similar films.
At the party, Sakura is open minded and warm, while Koume is suspicious and watchful. At first, all appears normal, and the Watanabes find themselves among several international guests. As the evening progresses, things become a bit odd and increasingly uncomfortable, with slight hints that something entirely sinister could be brewing. It's when the "final game" is played, that the true terror unfolds.
TCP takes the idea of the "Ugly American" to the tenth power, making it a sort of reverse HOSTEL. Of course, due to its minuscule budget, this film relies more on growing tension, disturbing exposition, and a few grisly set pieces, instead of non-stop gore.
The only complaint would be with the running time, which is about 20-30 minutes too long. While watching, one can see where a great deal of static could have been eliminated, and the whole movie tightened up. This is unfortunate, because this could have been much better. Some of the dialogue, especially from the party's hosts, could have been shortened or left out entirely. We get it, they're nuts! One particular "dance" scene is both humorous and creepy at the same time!
As it is, it's still worth a watch, and has a memorable finale...
One good thing about this movie is the character development of the Watanabe sisters. They have an actual story, and time is taken to allow it to emerge. This makes us feel comfortable with them, before the peril takes place. There is much debate over whether they should even attend the party at all, rather than simply plunging into it like most of the bubble-heads in similar films.
At the party, Sakura is open minded and warm, while Koume is suspicious and watchful. At first, all appears normal, and the Watanabes find themselves among several international guests. As the evening progresses, things become a bit odd and increasingly uncomfortable, with slight hints that something entirely sinister could be brewing. It's when the "final game" is played, that the true terror unfolds.
TCP takes the idea of the "Ugly American" to the tenth power, making it a sort of reverse HOSTEL. Of course, due to its minuscule budget, this film relies more on growing tension, disturbing exposition, and a few grisly set pieces, instead of non-stop gore.
The only complaint would be with the running time, which is about 20-30 minutes too long. While watching, one can see where a great deal of static could have been eliminated, and the whole movie tightened up. This is unfortunate, because this could have been much better. Some of the dialogue, especially from the party's hosts, could have been shortened or left out entirely. We get it, they're nuts! One particular "dance" scene is both humorous and creepy at the same time!
As it is, it's still worth a watch, and has a memorable finale...