The Murder Podcast

Sure, one day, I’d love to make sitting on my a$$ and reviewing movies a full-time gig, so who am I to look down on the dream of a pair of podcasters. In William Bagley’s comedy/thriller The Murder Podcast, two longtime friends, host Chad (Andrew McDermott) and producer Eddie (Cooper Bucha), are working tirelessly to become breakout stars with their podcast, “Ramen Reviews with Chad Thadwick.” But, unfortunately, for some reason, the public is not connecting with noodle reviews.

As luck would have it, a neighbor was found decapitated, and for some reason, the police have declared the beheading as a suicide. Obvious to Chad, the deceased was, in fact, murdered. Chad and Eddie decided to rebrand their ramen podcast to a murder podcast and investigate the crime. The boys’ new venture does not go well as they interfere with officer Stacheburn’s (Levi Burdick) real investigation.

Meanwhile, Chad is dealing with problems of his own as his sister Martha (Logan Mariner) and boyfriend Stephen (Brian Emond) want Chad to move out of Martha’s house. Instead, Martha decides that raising Chad’s rent is the perfect solution…that neither Chad nor Stephen wants to hear.

As the investigation progresses, the body count slowly builds, with the next victim being the deceased’s mother now being deceased. Then the murders begin taking on a supernatural bent involving a mysterious coin.

“…decided to rebrand their ramen podcast to a murder podcast and investigate the crime.”

The Murder Podcast is clearly a light comedy. Andrew McDermott plays Chad Thadwick as the boy who would be man, trying to find his way in the world of adulting and secure a permanent home in his sister’s house. Instead, Chad’s now locked into fulfilling his passion as a podcaster and serves as a way to connect with the memory of his former radio DJ father. Chad is constantly being challenged by his friends and family to get a “real job” or at least take life seriously.

The Murder Podcast flies solidly in the good film category with the potential to be much more. However, the film really needed a moment or two to elevate it into the exceptional realm. By that, I mean finding an element to the story or the comedy that would make the film stand out from a very crowded field of indie comedies. So maybe turn up the darkness on Chad and dig deeper into why he needs this podcast to succeed and is worth risking his life or livelihood to solve the murders.

I do appreciate that The Murder Podcast had a supernational element to it. I can’t get much more into story-wise, but the effects are pretty good, especially for an indie comedy. It was risky to move in this direction, but it ultimately worked in the end.

Writer/director William Bagley tells a solid story of the man-child Chad as he finds his way to adulthood. The comedy is very light and centers on the misadventures of Chad and Eddie as the pair are moved from one crazy situation to the next. For a supernatural, indie comedy-thriller, the production values and cinematography are exceptional. In the end, The Murder Podcast is good, deadly fun.