Directed by: Mitchell Tolliday
Starring: Simon Callow, Imogen Wilde, Nicci Linn, Verona Rose, Luke de Belder, Fran Mcateer

Murder Ballads: How to Make It in Rock’N’Roll is an expanded British independent film by upcoming director Mitchell Tolliday, based on his short feature Everything is Going to Be Fine (2020), and also stars Wilde, de Belder, and Mcateer, all reprising their roles. The film mostly centers around Keys (Wilde), an awkward pianist, who tries out (and makes it) for rock band Stack of Corpses and her misadventures with her new and demented bandmates. Callow plays addled singer-songwriter Richard O’Keefe (in a semi-narrative role), gluing this ensemble cast.

Structured like tracks on an album, scenes/acts are separated into sections with DIY title cards to boot. Along with its lo-fi sensibility, Murder Ballads gives off the vibe of the 90s indie spirit. Watching it made me a bit nostalgic as if I had just rented it at the local Blockbuster, finding it on the same shelf as Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Mall Rats. Its well-intentioned absurdity makes it hard to classify, but it has elements of comedy, surrealism, and campy horror. Murder Ballads also has the brilliant Callow, acting as the comedic segue way for each chapter, and is just a hoot to watch.

With the exception of Callow, who commands the screen with ease, the bulk of Murder Ballads has a fun DIY feel and unashamedly aims for camp status. And, depending on your tolerance for campy B-flicks, this might very well reach it. But, it is an acquired taste to be sure, and just like many rock albums, narrative isn’t really part of the equation.

Murder Ballads won’t blow your mind, but it has a little something that made me yearn for those cult classics from the 1990s. In this day and age of overproduced seriousness, a dash of absurdity may not be such a bad thing. Though Murder Ballads lacks polish, it builds up its charm with unrelenting campiness.

Murder Ballads is available on digital in the US and UK –
Visit their official site for more info

Thoughts on Murder Ballads? Let’s hear it!

…