Pulpmovies Reviews

Life has not been good to Monty (Matt Nelson). Socially inept and friendless, he’s way too old to be a pizza delivery boy, but this is what he is doing for a living. His life is a constant round of humiliation, torment and abuse, largely at the hands of his customers, who are quick to complain about him afterwards.

In fact the only person with whom he has any sort of connection at all is Bibi (Tara Cardinal), and she’s a customer.

As the downhill spiral of his life progresses and every small success turns out to be a setback waiting to happen, it isn’t hard to predict how things are going to pan out. But this is not a by-the-numbers slasher film and what really sets it apart is the extent to which we are drawn into the mundane reality of Monty’s existence.

It’s a good hour before things start to get violent and this time is spent exploring Monty’s character, his past his personality and the vicious circle of bullying and withdrawal that characterises the vast majority of his interactions with various people.

It is refreshing to see a horror film that tries to go beyond simply rehashing the same old stereotypes and actually develop the characters. And, although the pacing does feel a little slow in places, the character development is very solidly handled.

Matt Nelson does a great job here of bringing Monty’s personality to the screen as well as his frustrations, fears and reactions so that we not only gain an understanding of his character but also find ourselves sympathising with him. So much so that when the violence does break out you find yourself rooting for Monty rather than his victims.

Monty’s character doesn’t develop in isolation, however, and it is the faltering friendship that he develops with Bibi that provides the momentum for much of the film. And here Tara Cardinal puts in a very solid performance, building a character that is believable throughout and which brings a real emotional depth to the climax of the film.

Well written and well acted, Delivery is a lot smarter than your average horror film. Writer/director Jose Zambrano Cassella has taken the time not only to tell a very solid story, but also to develop the protagonist into a real and sympathetic character. And it’s this characterisation that imbues the whole film with a genuinely dark atmosphere and a real sense of inevitable violence.

If only more horror films were made this way.

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