You know, sending me a film is one thing, but sending me a film starring Samuel Lloyd from “Scrubs,” one of the best comedies ever created is another selling point entirely. Lloyd, who is utterly priceless as the hospital lawyer Ted, is hilarious as fun loving member Ken, a man whose profession gets in the way of the game of poker held by his friends every week. The sad aspect of the group is that they can’t quite grab a hold of a solid player week after week, and that’s because well… Ken is a serial killer. He’s a professional serial killer who gets off on maiming prostitutes, and their new fifth, Brian, is disturbed. That’s understandable. I mean finding a head in the refrigerator was shocking, learning the pretzel bowl they eat from is made of human skin is stunning, but when Brian witnesses Ken murder a prostitute in front of them, well sir, that’s the last straw.

What makes “The Fifth” such an unbelievable short is that these men aren’t so mad about the murdering, but the effect of the murdering on their game nights. Especially when Brian flees after the gruesome sight. But they’re his friends, vicious killer or not. Levin plays the force of the character Ken with as much delivery as possible, and he does so with a smile. Ken is comfortable with his status as a serial killer, and expects everyone to accept that. Levin’s “The Fifth” is a giddy dark comedy filled with gore, sick humor, and a deliciously morbid climax that’s just killer. I literally could not believe my eyes with "The Fifth" because I was so sure where Levin was taking this, and then you realize he's intent on seeing this the entire way through, and it's just such a groovy little practice of sadism.

One of the few exceptions of "The Fifth" are the rather over the top performances by the cast, who seem to respond much to explosively at the sights Ken inflicts. Serial killer or not, "The Fifth" could have played with much more of a shocked laugh effect had the characters reacted less to Ken's antics, and responded in a much more hum drum manner. That caveat keeps "The Fifth" from really inducing true hysterics.

In spite of the over the top performances, "The Fifth" is a surprising, and awfully sick short comedy about friends and what hardships we have to endure in order to maintain the order, whether they be gay, married, or a vicious serial killer. Been there.

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