Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A masked killer is picking off hapless victims working at a local haunt leading up to Halloween night.
Review: So this is obviously shit...buuuut...there is a layer of charm I wasn't expecting. Shocking, right? I've reviewed movies about haunts, countless masked killers, and like 80+ movies about Halloween (no exaggeration)--we aren't exactly covering new ground here. Yet, somehow, the quirkiness of the characters and their corny banter was amusing enough to keep me engaged. Even the killer--whose identity is criminally easy to guess--is over the top enough to get a chuckle out of me.
Realistically, "Haunt Season" is far, far from a Halloween classic in the making, but it does possess that fun-factor that is hard to capture. The kills are plentiful with a good balance of camera trickery and genuine gore effects to bring everything to life. It's quite clear the budget was peanuts, but the crew impressed me with old school ingenuity. The characters are both dumb and amusing at the same time, however, the film contains enough self-awareness to deliver on the kills and in quick succession. I don't know, there is this surreal aspect--like I'm finally experiencing a story with the sensibilities and mindset of Gen Z or something. I looked into the abyss, and it certainly stared back.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not hyping this movie up. The story is by-the-numbers bull shrimp, the killer's motive is nonsensical given the context of the movie, a significant portion of the acting was hard to endure, and there is an entire host of problems from technical to story structure. Despite the overwhelming flaws and no budget, I still enjoyed this for what it was. I understand others will not share my appreciation for the charm-factor, but writing goofy, offbeat characters with natural banter is hard to do. Should I create a new category for movies like this--amusing garbage?
Notable Moment: When the one guy gets a hole chainsawed through him, and then the killer shoves his hand through the wound. Funny scene and cool enough effect.
Final Rating: 5/10
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