Ravers is a 2018 horror film written by Luke Foster and Bernhard Pucher, directed by Pucher, and starring Georgia Hirst, Danny Kirrane, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Manpreet Bambra, and Maria Volk with minor roles played by Olivier Richters and Natasha Henstridge. Becky (Hirst) is an aspiring germophobic writer who is told by her editor (Henstridge) that she needs to "get her hands dirty" if she wants to make it big. Her cousin, Ozzy (Kirrane), a biochemist, invites her to a "squat party" being held at factory that used to manufacture energy drinks until a batch of contaminated Renergize energy drinks, combined with mass layoffs, drove one of the workers (Richters) into a homicidal rage. On the heels of a breakup, she encounters Hannah, who will be attending the party, and decides to attend herself. There, she encounters drug dealer Vince (Holden) and undercover cop Jen (Volk). When a cache of Renergize is found and passed out to the partiers, things get deadly, as the combination of the drink, and drugs, drives people to homicidal fury.
This film exhibits the following tropes:
- Action Survivor: Vince is a villainous version of this. Unable to escape the factory, he continues dealing his drugs to stave off the homicidal ravers. Primarily amoral, he shades into villainy after the protagonists burn up his bag of drugs in a bid to get supplies to save Hannah.
- All Asians Know Martial Arts: One of Vince's bodyguards is an Asian man who demonstrates the only martial arts skills in the film, easily taking down several assailants.
- Clandestine Chemist: Ozzy uses his chemistry skills to develop his own designer drugs. Later, his skills are useful in improvising an antidote for Hannah.
- Closed Circle: The factory was abandoned, only one door was unlocked, the steel walls block cell phone signals, and the one unlocked doors is blocked by one of the survivors, trying to stave off the ravers.
- Drugs Are Bad: Largely averted. It's stated repeatedly that most of the drug users at the rave are just looking to escape reality for a little while, and generally aren't addicts. The Renergize is what drives them into homicidal rages. That said, multiple cases are shown of party-goers who were clearly far gone before the killer drinks hit.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Several bottles are used as improvised bludgeons, and Jen's partner, John, dies after a broken bottle is punched repeatedly into his torso.
- Impairment Shot: After Becky takes the peyote, several shots are shown from her point of view with the light blooming, and her hallucinating.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Vince is taken out by one of his former bodyguards with a pipe rammed through his chest from behind.
- Magic Mushroom: One of the Chekov's Guns in the film is a bag of peyote buttons which are thrown out due to them looking spoiled. Becky later uses them to allow her to push a burning obstacle out of her way.
- Off with His Head!: The first kill in the film involves a supervisor being slammed down onto his safety award, severing his head cleanly.
- Slashed Throat: Jen has the front of her throat sliced open by Vince. They survive long enough to choke out their attacker.
- Stoners Are Funny: Two stoners at the rave show the characteristic eye bruising on those who've taken the energy drink, but remain mellow and friendly despite the chaos.
- Terrified of Germs: Becky is terrified of germs, carrying hand sanitizer, and showing up wearing an N95 mask and bulky clothes that cover her exposed skin. Unlike many cases in media, she doesn't just "get over it", including scenes where she has difficulty getting to safety because she can't stand touching filthy surfaces.
- Trash Landing: Becky is forced to make one of these, leaping off a building into a gunk-filled dumpster.
- Your Head A-Splode: The ultimate fate of one of the recurring foes is a drug overdose (and general massive trauma) resulting in his head exploding.
