Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: After their father's death, two sisters are terrorized by a supernatural creature on Halloween.
Review: I read numerous reviews calling this film a "Terrifier" ripoff or mentioning Art the clown from that series. This is somewhat understandable given the time frame of release, and the goofball nature of the clown killers, but it's not an accurate representation of "The Jester." Ironically enough, like Art the clown, the Jester character here also existed beforehand in short films years before producing this feature-length movie. So, yes, the two do parallel considerably, but the two were both created in the short film and indie circuit independently of one another.
With that nonsense out of the way, what are you actually getting with "The Jester?" Eh, nothing too crazy to say the least. If it weren't for the cursing, and slightly more gruesome deaths, this felt like an edgy episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark." Clown-like villain wastes his Halloween tormenting two sisters for no discernible reason and doesn't even kill either one. Weak. By the way, the drama between the two sisters is straight up, Lifetime channel CORN BALL as fuck. The opening scene made it seem like this particular family was being targeted for a specific reason--and so does the ending (sort of)--but, either I missed something, or no one stopped to wonder why any of this was happening.
The Jester is sort of cool as this reality-warping, trickster demon of some kind, but he should have had a makeup effect rather than a mask. There is also no explanation regarding his background, if Halloween connects to him, or what he hopes to accomplish by killing off this specific family. Maybe the shorts hold the answer, but the movie itself tells you jack beans. At the end, when the Jester arranges for the one sister to kill the other, and neither dies, you are left wondering if you simply wasted your time. Plus, he kind of just gives up after this because...why not? Ehh, it read better on paper probably.
I'm probably being too generous, but this is more mediocre than outright bad. I'm sure others will have less tolerance for the low-budget nature of the film which I get. As a PG-13 kids horror movie it would have been better and fit the tone better. There are plenty of stupid moments, but I do appreciate many of the ideas and concepts that could be expanded on. The ending is noticeably stupid so that makes it hard to recommend unless you're a fan of the shorts or just seeking out another one of the bazillion Halloween-themed horror films I pull out of my ass every year.
Notable Moment: When the dad is killed at the beginning. The hanging effect was impressive considering the budget; the obvious harness on the actor does hurt the final shot however.
Final Rating: 5/10
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