PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I recently had the privilege of watching Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break, which premiered at SXSW 2021. This is a phenomenal dark comedy directed by Nick Gillespie (read our interview with him HERE) and was co-written by himself, Brook Driver, and Matt White. The film stars Tom Meeten (read our interview with him HERE), Kris Marshall, Johnny Vegas, Katherine Parkinson, Kevin Bishop, Steve Oram, Alice Lowe, Jarred Christmas, Mandeep Dhillon, Pippy Haywood, Craig Parkinson, Steve Brody, Neil Edmond, and Lloyd Griffith.
Synopsis for Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break
Paul, a weedy charity-shop worker, has his heart set on winning a national talent competition. With a sparkly suit, killer routine, and his dear old mother in tow… this is his big chance. But when the actions of five intransigent, selfish people get in his way and cause him to miss the audition, Paul plans a deathly revenge mission. One lunch break, five spectacular murders! Each wrongdoer seemingly dispatched in a fitting manner by a sparkly-suited Paul on a revenge rampage around his small hometown. But will he pull it off, stay one step ahead of the cops and find the fame he’s always longed for?
Have you ever had just one too many bad days? And sometimes you feel like one of those bad days will be the last straw and you’ll lose it? Well, that’s what Paul Dood goes through in Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break. He really wants just to make his mother and those around him proud, but when a gold opportunity passes him by he can’t handle the rejection and he goes on a killing spree… but really they had it coming. Karma. The story is unique and fantastically fun, dark, and brilliantly bizarre. The performances are phenomenal and quirky and the ending is to die for.
I can’t imagine anyone playing Paul Dood better than Tom Meeten did. He was absolutely perfect for that role and brought the character to life. It’s not always easy to love someone when they’ve gone mad, but his quirky and loving personality steals your heart right away. I’m also a huge fan of Kris Marshall and his character was my second favorite in the film and he delivered sleazy and unforgiving perfectly.
The ending could have gone so many different ways but they went out with a BANG and it was much appreciated. I loved everything about this film from beginning to end. It has a special kind of charm to it and delivered the perfect mix of dark humor, blood, and horror.
Final Thoughts
Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break was such a fun and unique story. It’s pure chaos but also heartwarmingly touching. One that I think everyone will love and I highly recommend checking it out during its festival run.
