Directed by Josh Forbes, “Destroy All Neighbors” is a new comedy horror film streaming on Shudder. It follows a struggling prog-rock musician who does not get the level of success he thinks he deserves. His neighbors also add to his stress and make his life a living hell. While already frustrated by his existence, he gets caught up in a horrifying reality where he needs to fight for his life. So, the film follows his journey that’s filled with lots of violence. The cast of “Destroy All Neighbors” includes Jonah Ray, Kiran Deol, Alex Winter, Thomas Lennon, Kumail Nanjiani, and Randee Heller. Its screenplay is written by Mike Benner, Jared Logan, and Charles A. Pieper. Spoilers ahead.
Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is ‘Destroy All Neighbors’ about?
“Destroy All Neighbors” follows prog-rock musician William Brown (played by Jonah Ray), who is trying to find success in the music industry. For now, he is caught up in everyday problems and seems to be stuck in a loop of his own making. Through his journey, the plot follows a familiar plotline where a ‘loser fights some difficult odds to rise above mediocrity.’ The plot revolves around multiple prog rock & rock music references that the fans might love watching it for.
What happens in ‘Destroy all Neighbors’?
“Destroy All Neighbors” begins by showing William in a pretty shabby apartment immersed in his work. His girlfriend Emily (played by Kiran Deol) comes to listen to his new track. She appreciates it and gives him the boost of validation he desperately craves. She reminds him that he is late for work. He is still frustrated that he has to work for Scotty (played by Thomas Lennon) to earn a living. Still, he immediately rushes out with his stuff. But right in the corridor, he gets stopped by a couple of people walking with a couple of boxes.
William walks up to the next apartment door and tries to get a peek at what or who is inside. Right then, his building manager, Eleanor Prescott (played by Randee Heller), asks for help with some work (for which she should ideally hire a repairman). Still, William helps with those things. When Eleanor is about to suggest something helpful for his music career, he cuts the conversation saying she won’t understand his type of music. Right outside, he meets his neighbor Alec, who is moving out of his apartment. It’s not clear whether Alec’s acting career is going well or not. Still, he pretends to be confident, unlike William.
What does Caleb think of William’s track?
After dealing with his neighbors, William starts pitying himself for his sorry state of affairs. He drives his car to the studio while listening to his musical icon. The man addresses his imaginary audience and tells them to keep making music without caring if everyone would like it. It gives William a dose of serotonin. Eventually, he enters the recording studio. He meets Caleb Bang Jansen (played by Ryan Kattner), who is a relatively popular musical artist. Even if William doesn’t like Caleb’s style, he has to make peace with it.
Before he comes into the backroom, William plays his own prog rock track for Scotty to listen to. Scotty likes it. But the moment Caleb steps into the room, he changes his mind and says that he hates it. It is clear that Scotty is doing this for money. By the amount of times he defines what rock-and-roll is, he is also having a hard time not being his reckless self. Caleb hates William’s track and believes he isn’t famous because he does not know what people like and does not give them what they want. William still defends prog rock, but Caleb keeps insulting it. So, William begrudgingly works throughout the day.
What happens when William returns to his apartment?
Outside the studio, unhoused Auggie (played by Christian Calloway) warns William about an impending danger. William drives his car back home and reaches his apartment. He sees a sofa being pulled into the next-door apartment. Moments later, he sees a man with a scarred face. William gets scared and runs back into his hole of comfort. Emily reminds him that he forgot to bring something that he was supposed to. William apologizes but then complains about the noise from their new neighbor. She tells him to just use some earplugs. But he cannot concentrate despite that.
The noise continues till late at night, which makes it impossible to sleep. Still, he refuses to go speak with the neighbor. Instead, he just knocks on the common wall – thinking it will make the neighbor quiet. It doesn’t work. The neighbor just spits on the peephole and leaves. Since Emily doesn’t worry about it, he calls the police. They arrive to find Emily speaking with the neighbor – Vlad (played by Alex Winter). The police think that William made a big issue out of a minor disagreement. So, they leave. Still, it keeps messing with William’s mind to the point he loses his recording work. Emily also gets frustrated and breaks up.
What does William do with Vlad’s dead body?
Only after Emily leaves him William tries to take charge of the situation. He goes up to Vlad to speak with him. One thing leads to another, and he ends up stabbing Vlad with a piece of glass. Moments later, he finds Vlad decapitated and fallen on the ground. As always, he turns to his musical icon to comprehend what to do in this situation. Not so surprisingly, the man has answers even for William’s wildest questions. With that help, he packs pieces of Vlad’s body in a bag and throws it in his trunk. He pulls up at a recycling facility to get rid of it. But the security guard (played by Kumail Nanjiani) does not let him in.
So, in his blood-soaked clothes, William drives up to his studio. But Auggie notices Vlad’s head in the van. William tries to take care of the matter but rather ends up hurting Auggie. That’s when he learns that Auggie is actually some artist that he held in high regard. Anyhow, he drives up to the outskirts and dumps the body in a pit. He then returns to his building to find Eleanor dead because of an electric shock accident. The next morning, Emily comes to take her stuff and plans to leave for good. She is tired of William not being open about his issues. Soon after, he walks up to the next apartment and finds Vlad’s head chugging alcohol with Auggie’s help.
Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
What happens to William in the end?
For some reason, William finds comfort in an absurd situation. He opens up to decapitated Vlad & Auggie about the reason he keeps working on prog rock while EDM could help him earn much more. With their help, he gains the confidence to start working again. In that phase of excitement, he plays the music too loud and disturbs another neighbor – Philip (played by DeMorge Brown). So, Philip comes up to confront him. Subsequently, William kills Philip. Emily, who just walks into the apartment, sees this. William ends up in jail and meets his previous neighbor Alec. He talks about getting scammed.
Hours later, a lawyer helps him get rid of the criminal case against him. Before he leaves, the police want William to confirm the identity of Eleanor’s burnt body. She tells him to embrace chaos as a part of his life. It motivates him. He then drives back to the studio with Eleanor, Vlad, Phillip, & Auggie. He takes charge of the studio and records music the way he wants. The police reach outside the studio and use Emily as bait to make William act as per their wishes. William gets help from all these dead monsters to record his track & finds a moment of victory. Nevertheless, at the end of ‘Destroy All Neighbors’, William gets thrown into prison, whereas Scotty & Caleb take awards for his album. This strange turn of events improves William’s relationship with Emily.
What is the point of ‘Destroy All Neighbors’?
The point of “Destroy All Neighbors” is to show the protagonist learning to take charge of his life instead of complaining about things not working out according to his wishes.
Read More: When Evil Lurks (2023) Movie Ending Explained: Why does Pedro kill his own Son?
Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Movie Trailer
Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
The Cast of Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Movie: Jonah Ray, Kiran Deol, Alex Winter, Thomas Lennon, Kumail Nanjiani, Randee Heller
Destroy All Neighbors (2024) Movie Genre: Comedy, Horror | Runtime: 1h 25 Mins
