Name: Very Bad Things
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1998-09-11T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, Jeremy Piven

The opening shot of Very Bad Things (1998) is a close-up of a stripper’s high heel snapping mid-dance, a moment that sets the tone for Peter Berg’s debut feature: chaotic, unpredictable, and darkly comedic. This 1998 black comedy follows Kyle Fisher (Jon Favreau) and his four best friends as they spiral into a nightmarish cover-up after accidentally killing a stripper during a bachelor party in Las Vegas.

Berg’s film thrives on its tonal whiplash, shifting from raucous comedy to grim thriller with alarming speed. The cast—Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Jeremy Piven, and Daniel Stern among them—embrace the absurdity of their roles with commitment. Slater’s Robert Boyd is particularly standout, oscillating between panicked desperation and cold-blooded pragmatism as he orchestrates the increasingly convoluted cover-up. The performances anchor the film’s wildest moments in something resembling emotional truth.

Structurally, Very Bad Things is a mess in the best way possible. Berg refuses to let the audience settle into any one genre or mood, making it impossible to anticipate where the story will go next. The first act plays like a raunchy comedy, the middle section descends into black comedy horror, and the final stretch becomes a darkly satirical thriller. This refusal to conform makes the film feel fresh even decades later.

Yet, the film’s tonal chaos isn’t always its friend. Some of the humor falls flat when weighed down by the escalating violence, and the pacing stumbles in the film’s second act as it juggles multiple subplots. The feminist undertones—highlighted by Diaz’s Laura Garrety, who remains blissfully unaware of the mayhem unfolding around her—are interesting but underdeveloped.

The real misstep is Berg’s direction during key moments. Some scenes, like Adam Berkow’s (Daniel Stern) death, lack the visceral impact they should have due to awkward framing and editing choices. The film also struggles with its pacing in the middle act, where the tension dissipates slightly as it juggles multiple subplots.

Despite these flaws, Very Bad Things remains a wildly entertaining oddity. It’s camp horror at its best, blending dark humor with genuine thrills. The cast is uniformly strong, and Berg’s fearless direction ensures that the film never becomes predictable.