Project X: No one goes back home a virgin

 Poster of controversial house party

No one who got in was meant to leave out the same. Virgins were to be deflowered. Those who had only drunk sour porridge as the closest thing to alcohol were to stagger home in a stupor after a 'celebration of badness' during 'Project X, a house party that was slotted to take part in Nairobi's Kileleshwa estate.

Alas! it was never to be: churches lined up teenagers for prayers to cast out party demons, mothers went ranting on social media over moral decadence as the media dissected what was dubbed a 'Sex Party.'

Authorities in some quarters said it was meant to be attended by porn syndicates who were to shoot films during the drug induced orgy of unhinged debauchery.

However, according to organizers-who have been questioned by the police and instructed to cancel the party- the alleged event at an undisclosed location was meant to be just another house party that was blown out of proportion.

The Nairobian contacted Derrick, Oscar and Carter, who make an extra living from organizing events and parties through their outfit, X-Rated Inc.

They explained that the poster that created all the use by using the tagline, 'No one leaves a virgin was only meant to "lure a crowd, but the media came in with their own translation," said 'Derro' (Derrick) adding that it was for promotional use only.

X-Rated Inc is run by three young men who fleshed the name from 'Project X' a 2012 movie in which three high school party animals throw house parties that descend into mayhem.

And while the 'X' in Kenya's 'Project X' stood for 'extreme', their house party was only a social event with 18 as the age limit. 'Project X' was not intended to attract teenagers as initially thought.

Says Derro: "This could have been the biggest house party and pool party in one venue. Just like any other party, we had planned for music, dance, responsible drinking and just the usual fun."

According to the brains behind 'Project X' the tagline, 'No one leaves a virgin' was what caused the current uproar that has opened the lead on what goes on when young adults gather for what they say is a 'house party'. Alcohol, sex, drugs and other things that can make Satan cringe are said to take place in what 21st century Kenyan youth deem as 'normal'.

But organizers of 'Project X' now clarify that the tagline was mistranslated as they had actually picked it from the movie by the same name.

"We stated clearly on the Facebook Page that proof of age will be needed. This is not an orgy, because it does not stand with our morals," added Derro. Moreover, they said they had already acquired services of 20 bouncers and four police officers to cater for the day's security.

On their Facebook page, they wrote, "To parents, we are deeply sorry that you had to view event as an immoral and unethical abuse of our freedom to have fun, the event is based on guys socializing, having fun and new exposure to different people.

We put up the charges at Sh500 so as to allow everyone from every background to have fun. To the parents that called and clarified about the event, we appreciate as opposed to one that circulated false ads concerning the event on "hear say" knowledge without even checking the event page for details,"

The organisers told The Nairobian that there were no cameras or videos allowed contrary to allegation made by The Kenya Film Classification Board CEO, Ezekiel Mutua who charged that a syndicate of unscrupulous characters use such parties to shoot pornographic films before extorting cash from their victims through blackmail in between promoting drugs.

"We were questioned by the CID at their headquarters. We were asked to cancel the event and we did. We have complied with Anti-Narcotics and the CID. We shall not try to justify the event but ask our fans to accept the cancellation positively," they said.

It was just a film about party animals Project X is a 2012 American comedy film which follows three friends—Thomas, Costa and J.B. who plan to gain popularity by throwing a party, a plan which quickly escalates out of their control.

The film is presented as a found footage home video from the perspective of an attendee using a camera to document the night's events.

Project X was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on March 2, 2012, and grossed over $100 million (Sh10 billion) worldwide during its theatrical run.

Criticism focused on the "loathsome" behaviour of the lead characters, the perceived misogyny and the disregard for the effects of drug use. Other reviews considered it funny and thrilling, and equated it to a modern incarnation of the 1978 comedy Animal House. Following release, incidents of large scale parties referenced or blamed the film as an inspiration.

This house party attracted police helicopters, the dog squad

The true story behind Project X was a real life incident involving an Australian kid called Corey Delaney. When he was just 16 years old, Corey posted an invite on his MySpace site for a party at his parent's home. They were on holiday and over 500 people turned up to his suburban home in southeast Melbourne in January 2008, a party that turned wild; the carnage that ensued attracted police helicopters and the dog squad to his family home- not to mention huge amounts of media attention.

Corey was arrested and charged with producing child pornography. It started as these things usually do, with an amorphous, largely ambiguous plan that later found its way to the Internet.

By then, the arrangements had taken shape and were swiftly downloaded in adolescent-speak: "Parents away, tell yr m8s, u don wanna miss it, its gonna B huge''.

For even the most dedicated partygoers, this was the bomb: Eight birthdays, three venues, two suburbs, one Saturday night. The guests, linked by a labyrinth of school and internet-based relationships, headed out. By 8pm the three parties were underway.

At Corey two-storey family home in the southeast Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren Australia, 80 people had paid a gold-coin donation to join his birthday celebrations - the asking price would increase to $10 (Sh1000) after 10pm.

The host wasn't exactly vigilant about enforcing the charge - some got around it by jumping the fence, others just walked through the door.

As the guests got progressively louder - and drunker - beer bottles started being smashed and a game of Twister was started. Within the hour the police arrived. The mayhem included out-of-control and intoxicated kids throwing glass and bricks, breaking letterboxes, shouting obscenities and even damaging police cars.

Corey became something of a media celebrity in Australia, giving radio and press interviews and being offered thousands of dollars to stage similar parties in Sydney and America. Following the release of Project X, many parties were inspired by the film including the cancelled house party in Kenya.