Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 9, 2025

We don’t see many of these anymore. Screenwriters Mike Benner, Jared Logan, and Charles A. Pieper look to raise a little hell with “Destroy All Neighbors,” which is a strange blast of violence and dark comedy, with heavy emphasis on madness and makeup effects. Director Josh Forbes (“Contracted: Phase II”) is in charge of this cinematic circus, and his job is to find some level of tonal stability to help viewers get into the mood of the endeavor, which isn’t afraid to go just about anywhere with its macabre visuals. “Destroy All Neighbors” is meant to be a roaring good time with practical effects and screen craziness, and it definitely has inspired moments of insanity. The picture as a whole is a little too much to endure at times, but creativity is plentiful and humor remains intact in this exploration of overkill.

William (Jonah Ray Rodrigues) is a music engineer with big dreams to release his own album. He’s chasing success with his prog rock sound, but he’s struggling to find a receptive audience, and he hasn’t finished his project. His girlfriend, Emily (Kiran Deol), is supportive, but her patience is thinning, and William also deals with self-esteem issues, allowing others to walk all over him. Moving in to his apartment building, William is confronted with the noisy ways of Vlad (Alex Winter), an aggressive man who plays music at top volume all day, putting the musician on edge as he tries to focus on his work. Working up the courage to confront Vlad, William is exposed to the man’s hostile ways, and their meeting doesn’t go as planned. Left with a dead body to dispose of, William begins to lose his mind, finding friends in the recently deceased as they push the young man to do more with his life.

William doesn’t live in paradise, but he’s made a home for himself with Emily, building a small workspace to help realize his mission to bring “prog squared” to the masses. It’s an album he can’t finish, paralyzed by extreme doubt, and he has a day job at a music studio that’s demoralizing, dealing with the demands of Jansen (Ryan Kattner), a drugged-out musician out to make life miserable for all. “Destroy All Neighbors” makes a clear case for William’s misery, as he deals with demands from building manager Eleanor (Randee Heller), who uses her tenant to make repairs, and there’s Auggie (Christian Calloway), and unhoused man who pesters William for croissants. William tries to keep calm with help from Swig (Jon Daly), a prog rock bassist producing videos celebrating his own greatness. It’s a high wire walk of sanity that’s tested by the arrival of Vlad, a beefy stranger who immediately fills the floor with loud music and mystery noises, putting William in a tight spot, forced to confront the neighbor, which is the last thing he wants to do.

“Destroy All Neighbors” explores William’s fears, gradually recognizing he’s someone people walk all over, including Vlad, who’s quick to pick on this sensitive subject. A meeting inside the stranger’s apartment reveals the level of crazy Vlad is involved with, and it also changes everything for William, with his courage turned into a nightmare when it all goes wrong. Forbes keeps “Destroy All Neighbors” incredibly bloody and goopy, including a nightmare sequence where Vlad vomits all over William, but such repulsiveness is part of the movie’s humor. Extremity is the name of the game here (the feature resembles Winter’s 1993 offering, “Freaked”) and Forbes sticks with gruesomeness, while the writing invents fresh ways to break William’s brain, sending him into the comfort of insanity where the dead become his pals, supporting his newfound confidence.

Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.00:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Destroy All Neighbors" preserves the acid hues of the production, which cranks up greens and reds to deliver a proper hellscape living experience. Bold colors are found throughout the viewing experience, exploring extreme lighting and gory events, keeping blood red and guts purplish. Outdoor events register with crisp blue skies, and street signage is distinct. Skin tones are natural on the living and nicely grotesque on the dead. Detail is strong, exploring the bumpy textures of the monstrous characters, preserving makeup and puppet achievements. Apartment living maintains dimension, and decorative additions are open for inspection. Delineation is satisfactory, preserving shadowy events. Very mild banding is periodically detected.

Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix for "Destroy All Neighbors" delivers an immersive listening event. Surrounds are quite active during the run time, exploring musical moods as scoring and soundtrack selections escalate, also preserving the aural pressure points of Vlad's noisy apartment. Atmospherics present room tone and neighborly activity, and sound effects are distinct. Dialogue exchanges are clear, supporting some extreme accent work and moments of panic. Low-end is active, offering heaviness with violent eruptions and musical beats.

Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet offers an essay by director Josh Forbes.

• Commentary #1 features director Josh Forbes and actors Thomas Lennon and Jon Daly.

• Commentary #2 features director Josh Forbes, co-writer Charles A. Pieper, and actors Christian Calloway and Randee Heller.

• Commentary #3 features director Josh Forbes and special makeup effects designer Gabe Bartalos.

• Commentary #4 features musicians Ryan Kattner and Brett Morris.

• Commentary #5 features radio personality Phil Hendrie.

• "Introducing Gabe Bartalos" (2:08, HD) is an interview with the makeup FX artist for "Destroy All Neighbors," who explores his early relationship with director Josh Forbes, finally getting a chance to collaborate. The interviewee recalls his favorite moment during the shoot, responding to a display of his work around an excited cast and crew.

• "Destroy All Makeup FX" (4:13, HD) is an interview with makeup FX artist Gabe Bartalos, who provides an overview of his work on "Destroy All Neighbors," focusing on his job responsibilities and creative achievements.

• "Designing Skeleanor" (2:10, HD) is an interview with makeup FX artist Gabe Bartalos, who focuses on the creation of a special monster from "Destroy All Neighbors," also including workshop footage of the puppet and some BTS snaps.

• "Designing Auggie & Pig Guy" (2:36) is an interview with makeup FX artist Gabe Bartalos, who provides an overview of a few creature creations from "Destroy All Neighbors," examining the mechanical needs of these monsters.

• "Designing Vlad" (7:24, HD) is an interview with makeup FX artist Gabe Bartalos, who focuses on his time with actor Alex Winter, who also had ideas for his character's appearance, helping to bring the main villain from "Destroy All Neighbors" to life in a vivid way. The interviewee goes deep into detail about the makeup needs of the creation.

• EPK Behind the Scenes (3:20, HD) is a brief look at the making of "Destroy All Neighbors," including short interviews with director Josh Forbes, makeup FX artist Gabe Bartalos, and actors Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Alex Winter, and Kiran Deol.

• And a Trailer (2:07, HD) is included.

Destroy All Neighbors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Destroy All Neighbors" is aggressive, downright chaotic at times, which isn't always amusing to sit through. The production is going for excess, and Forbes achieves it, but there's some levity in the midst of all the gore and screaming fits, with a few lines scoring laughs. The cast is clearly having fun, which adds to the viewing experience, especially Winter, who's buried under layers of makeup as Vlad, but also appears as William's lawyer, and Rodrigues captures his character's descent into panic. "Destroy All Neighbors" is made for a specific audience, and those craving a macabre ride into the extremes of anxiety and bodily harm will find something appealing here, especially when Forbes and his team play with the wonders of puppetry and bodily fluids, going for grossness with enthusiasm.