Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A group of teens throw a party at an abandoned mortuary only to discover the house is possessed by demons.
Review: Believe it or not, there really aren't all that many horror movies that take place on Halloween. Surprisingly, there are way more family films revolving around the holiday, and there are actually more horror movies about Christmas! I guess filmmakers figure that the "Halloween" franchise has the market cornered, but I've already discussed the sad state that franchise is currently in. Although there are a few stray films out there that I hope to get to, there is one other franchise that revolves around Halloween, and, as you may have guessed, this is that series. Unfortunately, Halloween as the backdrop is more of a plot device than a major drive to the story since it is the excuse for why the events are unfolding and even that isn't necessarily true in the other entries. I do like this film for it's '80s charm and cheesiness, but it's so hard to ignore the horrendous acting and cheap effects.
Essentially, the story plays out like your typical '80s slasher fare except that they stress that there are no ghosts and that you are dealing with demons--you know, in case you couldn't figure it out from the title. We only get a little bit of a backstory, but supposedly the location of the mortuary, known as Hull House, has always been a mysterious area that is possibly a gateway to hell. There is an underground stream that surrounds the house that apparently keeps the demons contained because of some bullshit about demons being unable to cross running water. I have heard this lore before, but it's sort of a generic way to ward off evil in older myths that doesn't see a lot of action in modern times; vampires were even said to be affected by this at one point of their ridiculously glamorized mythology. Well, since it's Halloween, the demons can come out to play for one night of the year and terrorize our unsuspecting characters just trying to have a good time '80s style! Speaking of which, there is a certain degree of banter and humor to the characters that I find entertaining that helps a lame movie become better. I mean, you have your cliches, no doubt about that, but the actors play it straight even when overacting which adds to the entertainment value. It also helps to have a few '80s babes to spice things up the way I like it! I should note that one of the main characters is infamous scream queen Linnea Quigley doing her usual thing (stripping down and being eye candy), but she was never quite my type. Even though I find a lot of likability to these characters, the acting simply sucks and some of the deliveries of the lines are embarrassing considering this was a theatrical release at the time; actually, the acting is the single worst element to the whole film and detracts considerably when there is surprisingly a lot to like here.
The Angela character eventually becomes sort of the main antagonist to the franchise, but in this movie she isn't the first to be possessed; that privilege goes to Ms. Quigley's character, Suzanne. There are sort of makeshift rules to this series that you can either be possessed by the house or if you're killed in the house your corpse resurrects possessed. At the same time, most of the deaths are tame and could have used some more effort to make things memorable. Some of the visual and makeup effects are pretty good, but there are a lot of questionable one like the demons' true form and the laughably bad voices for the possessed individuals. Eventually everyone is either killed or possessed until the final two characters escape just as the sun comes up ending Halloween and the demons' ability to remain on earth. There is something sort of lackluster to the ending that makes the experience feel shallow which is why I suppose the film closes out with some goofball old guy being killed by the apples he put razors in earlier in the film. This tacked on plot element emphasizes how dumb the ending is especially when you realize he ate apples after they were baked into a pie which there's no way this would work or you wouldn't taste the damn razors! There is a decent attempt to portray Halloween festivities and decorations, but you could easily remove the holiday elements and the story would still make sense with a little rework. I wish there had been more emphasis on it being Halloween since a bunch of characters aren't even in costumes and some look like they could simply blend in with the '80s decor in general--costume or not.
Overall, this is a decent foray into Halloween horror that is overshadowed by the fact that its plot does not involve the holiday enough. There is a kind of '80s charm to the story, presentation, and characters that creates an effectively entertaining film allowing the viewer to overlook the flaws for the most part. There are some cool visuals, decent chicks, and I thought the music was great if you can appreciate that era. If only this film weren't hindered by the terrible acting, shoddy effects, and uninspired ending, this would have been a bigger hit. If you're looking for something to watch this Halloween, this may be a choice for you, but don't expect to be blown away with a compelling story or anything.
Notable Moment: When Billy and Sal are discussing the location of the party at Hull House. The banter is amusing, but I just can't stop imagining Sal as Joey Wheeler from "Yu-gi-oh." I mean, it's like a dead on impression except obviously this came first.
Final Rating: 6/10
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