Scare Zone Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Leading up to Halloween, the employees at a horror attraction are picked off by a masked killer.

Review: Despite the low-budget, shit camera, uneven tone, and sheer, amateurish nature...this was actually not bad. The moment "Scare Zone" began, I thought it would be absolutely horrendous judging by that film quality coupled with the laughable acting in the introductory scene. However, once I got over the initial shenanigans, the film picked up considerably. Now, don't misunderstand me, this is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it managed to be above average even with all the negatives going against it. The main draw for me was the sense of fun with the story. Clearly the cast and crew were just trying to make a movie horror fans could enjoy. But, more so, the filmmakers were able to escape many pitfalls of the inexperienced. This was particularly noticeable with the conceded effort to use practical effects that, while not great, were respectable. Another strong point was the decent reveal of the killer's identity. I really can't believe it, but there are a lot of positives going on with this little movie!

The story itself is nothing spectacular as it merely involves a crew of stereotypes working at a Halloween attraction. Each day, leading up to Halloween, a worker or two is killed off by a masked killer. Though this plot line is simplistic, they do try to work with it the best they can. I thought all the characters would be super annoying, but they calmed down as the film progressed. Surprisingly there is a romance subplot regarding this goth chick going through emotional problems. It sounds dumb but it's presentation was kind of interesting; in fact, I liked that she worked at some Christmas store. One thing that definitely hurts is that the tone of the film annoyingly switches multiple times out of the blue. This is moronic. For example, one minute things are serious as a worker dies, but then geeky characters are getting into zany antics in the next scene; I mostly chalked this up to amateurish mistakes, but, still, c'mon.

As the killer racks up the bodies they blend into the attraction, and there is usually an explanation for why no one notices the characters disappearing. And, as I mentioned, the deaths and effects are commendable when all things are considered. Yeah, there aren't any mind-blowing effects, but I've seen way, waaaaay worse that's for sure. I'll admit I was impressed a little with the film's attempt to make everyone look suspicious. I did not guess the killer's identity too which I liked. Sure, there are many contrivances you must accept, but they weren't as glaring as you'd imagine. It turns out the killer is obsessed with that goth chick and is one of the fans of the attraction--not one of the workers after all; I know it might sound cornball but it works. There was even a final scene where I think it's implied the killer was not working alone; he did keep saying "we" a lot.

Honestly, if the filmmakers had a higher budget and better cameras, this might have been worthy of the good category. I don't mean to hype "Scare Zone" up whatsoever, but you could feel the heart put into the production. Let me reiterate, this is simply above average at best, but it's hard to ignore the considerable amount of effort put in when the budget was peanuts. If you're just looking for something to watch on Halloween there are better alternatives without a doubt. However, if you have burnt out the typical Halloween movies, this could work if you have your expectations in check. For me, I examine this movie more from the perspective of accomplishing a lot with a little. This easily could have been shit, worthy of a 3/10, but they managed to squeeze out every bit of entertainment possible. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Notable Moment: When goth chick is cutting herself. Did she orgasm from the pain? Well, regardless, this scene is so weird and random that it's yet another moment where the tone does not fit at all.

Final Rating: 5.5/10