The 2014 movie “Cheap Thrills” was released on VOD and never made a theatrical run. It definitely lives up to its name with its combination of dark humor, horror, and crime drama all blended into one crazy story. Pat Healy and Sara Paxton who both starred in “The Innkeepers” join David Koechner and Ethan Embry in this small little movie that provides enough cheap thrills to make it an interesting watch.
Healy plays Craig a husband and father who is down on his luck. On the verge of being evicted from their L.A. apartment, he is also downsized from his menial day job. Previous dreams of being a writer have long since passed so he goes to a local bar to drown his sorrows. Vince, an old friend played by Embry recognizes him and starts chatting him up. Before long he is introduced to Colin and his wife Violet (Koechner and Paxton). Colin is an exceedingly rich and eccentric man who starts offering Craig and Vince small amounts of money for dares. They move their little party to a strip club where the dares are increased. It’s getting late and Craig tries to leave on a number of occasions but the lure of the easy money is too great. They eventually get tossed from the club when Vince slaps a stripper's ass for $200. But Craig one-ups him by punching the bouncer in the face, not a good idea. Craig is knocked out cold by the bouncer and wakes up at Colin's place where the games continue. Sara Paxton’s character of Violet is completely wasted in this movie as she is only used for one scene and then relegated to looking pretty in the background the rest of the time. Craig is offered $2,000 to have sex with Violet and of course, he agrees. When money is involved and you are motivated enough morality is an afterthought. The dares increase, as well as the money, and Craig and Vince get the worst of it. Just a side note, if you like cute little dogs or are an animal person you can probably skip this movie.
The characters for the most part are ridiculous and stupid, however, this is where the comedy comes from. Craig and Vince get in a bidding war over who will cut their pinky finger off for the lowest amount of money and Craig wins at $15,000. Craig’s severed finger has quite an amazing journey throughout the rest of the film. You get to the point of where is this going to end and there is really only one possibility. In secret, Colin offers Vince $50,000 to kill Craig, but when it comes time he can’t do it. On the other hand, Craig can, as he shoots Vince without hesitation. Is this how the ultra-rich have fun on a Friday night? “Cheap Thrills” is pretty much just that, while not great it's something to watch late at night.