From Lovecraftian co-op card games to sinister tabletop escape rooms, horror-themed board games have always been an ever-popular pastime. But nothing you might have played before compares to the game Writer/Director Michael Lovan came up with to lay the foundations for his directorial debut, Murder Bury Win.
Starring Mikelen Walker, Elrich Lane, Henry Alexander Kelly and Craig Cackowski, Murder Bury Win delves into the darker side of the board gaming word when three friends create a game they think has all the makings of the next indie bestseller. But, when their attempt to crowdfund fails, a mysterious man makes them an offer: he will publish their game with the proviso that he will take the credit as the sole creator and owner. An argument over the gaming rights leaves them with a body on their hands and the young men soon realise how suspiciously like murder the freak accident appears. Running out of options, they look to the premise of their game for guidance: How to murder someone and get rid of the body.
With the film available On Demand from today, April 27, we rolled the die with Lovan who revealed how feeling conflicted by the many roles that competition played on the systems and environments in which he grew up lead him to write the film, connecting the ramifications of such a competitive society with his love for gaming.
Words: Howard Gorman