Streaming now on Shudder is “Destroy All Neighbors,” a horror comedy featuring William Brown, a struggling prog rocker facing creative blockage. While various factors contribute to his struggle, the arrival of his noisy neighbor, Vlad, proves especially disruptive to William’s work environment.
Despite his girlfriend Emily’s offer to intervene, William confronts Vlad himself, leading to an altercation that ends in Vlad’s accidental death. Panicked, William seeks to conceal the body but finds himself embroiled in a series of further deaths.
After disposing of Vlad’s body, William encounters Auggie, a homeless man he inadvertently kills in a tragic accident. He later discovers that Auggie was, in fact, Swigg Andersson, the prog rock legend featured on his phone app. William’s guilt intensifies when Eleanor, the building manager, dies in an electrical accident he blames himself for.
As more deaths occur, including that of his neighbor Phillip, William’s mental state deteriorates. Despite his release from prison due to lack of evidence, William is haunted by the deaths he caused. However, with the support of his deceased victims-turned-bandmates, William completes his album in a recording studio.
During a standoff with Emily and the police, Emily buys William time to finish his album. Ultimately, William is arrested and sentenced to prison for his involuntary killings. Despite his incarceration, William’s album wins Album of the Year, offering a bittersweet conclusion to his story.
While the film’s narrative takes bizarre and confusing turns, leaving viewers uncertain of its message, it ultimately portrays William’s journey through a series of strange and unexpected events.