Billed as an audacious political slasher, "Founders Day" trips over the execution. Set in the post-Craven era, this film introduces us to a series of gruesome murders in a small town amidst a mayoral race. The movie's political DNA, however, is far from original, turning out to be a worn-out post-Craven moral relativism. The movie's two leading characters, an incumbent mayor and her overbearing competitor, are claimed to be as deceitful as they are performative. The movie spends the rest remaining time on the antics of angsty teenage characters, whose banter begs more fine-tuning and whose demises lack any real caustic effect. While "Founders Day" attempts to present an edgy horror, its watered-down satire and timid horror narrative disappoint.
The sleepy American town of Fairwood is the backdrop of the movie, wherein Mayor Gladwell (Amy Hargreaves) battles for her office against Harold Faulkner (Jayce Bartok), her aggressive opponent. Outside Fairwood's quaint movie theater, a small face-off ensues between supporters of both parties, with motivations as unclear as their placard slogans.
The political animosity culminates in a stalemate with the preservation of status quo being pinned as the ultimate virtue. Things take a grim turn with a series of brutal murders impacting the life of Fairwood teens. Among the victims is Melissa (Olivia Nikkanen), who is brutally murdered after attaching a love lock to the town bridge with her partner, Allison (Naomi Grace). The attacker dons a Carnival mask and judicial attire and assassinates with a gavel, prompting suspicions of political motivations given Melissa's close association with the feuding political families.
The series of death brings Adam (Devin Druid), Melissa's brother, and Allison closer, but the movie fails to explore it much further. Adam, besides being the son of a politician, is burdened with competitive relationship issues involving his ex, Lilly (Emilia McCarthy), now dating Rob (Tyler James White). The film struggles to establish our sympathy for Adam, with plot turns obscuring his character development.
Efforts to emulate the viscerality of its post-Craven peers fall flat, with the film's worst murder scenes failing to provoke the dread one anticipates. Even the most disturbing accident in the film leaves the viewer underwhelmed, as the creators, director Erik Bloomquist and his co-writer/co-editor Carson Bloomquist, fail to exploit this plot twist to its full potential.
"Founders Day" often feels like a squandered opportunity for something more chilling or provocative. A great deal of the narrative is consumed by setting up unfulfilled expectations, hinting at the desire of filmmakers to expose corruption on both political fronts. Yet, the Gladwells and the Faulkners are believable only insofar as their shared affinity for political manipulation, reducing individual personalities to stereotypical roles. Ironically, these elements could have been the recipe for a layered horror film. By the end of "Founders Day", the audience is left with an unsatisfactory slasher movie, where even cheap thrills neither offer excitement nor carry any real weight.
