Haunt Season

Stumbling upon the 2024 horror movie "Haunt Season" by random chance, of course I opted to watch the movie as I enjoy all things horror. Sure, I had never heard about this movie, but it being a horror movie was essentially all that was necessary for me to want to give it a fair chance.

Now, the storyline in "Haunt Season" was pretty straightforward, if not rather simplistic. Writer and director Jake Jarvi put together a fair enough script, which is suitable for a single viewing if you enjoy horror slashers. The movie is centered around a haunt attraction, wherein someone is literally killing people.

I was not familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, and that is actually something I rather enjoy when I watch a movie. And while I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble, I will still say that the acting performances in the movie were good.

The effects in "Haunt Season" were actually not bad. And there were sufficient enough mayhem and bloodshed to keep a seasoned gorehound veteran such as myself content.

The sets were good, and they definitely put a lot of effort into constructing the sets and working out something atmospheric for the movie.

While "Haunt Season" is not going to be a horror classic, it is a movie that is fun enough to check out and watch if you enjoy horror movies. It is, however, not a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing, as writer and director Jake Jarvi didn't really bring anything innovative or outstanding to the horror genre. But if you enjoy horror movies, I would say definitely check out this 2024 movie.

My rating of writer and director Jake Jarvi's 2024 movie "Haunt Season" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Haunt Season (2024) promises 80s horror nostalgia but delivers something closer to a lifeless séance. While its lighting and cinematography are undeniably stunning, evoking the colour-drenched visuals of Halloween or Suspiria, the rest of the film feels as flat as the characters it fails to bring to life.

The writer tries to add emotional depth, but the characters are stock archetypes without the spark to make you care. Despite decent acting, the lacklustre dialogue leaves even the cast struggling to inject energy into their performances.

Pacing is where Haunt Season truly stumbles. Horror relies on building tension or delivering shocks, but here, the film drags through superfluous scenes with sporadic, unimpressive gore. Even the promise of audacious, gory 80s fun is squandered in favor of playing it safe.

The final scene is a visual and emotional triumph-a reminder of what the film could have been. But one strong ending can't save a thriller that mostly leaves you waiting for it to deliver on its potential. Watch it for the visuals, but don't expect it to leave a lasting impression.

An aspiring young actress gets a job at a Halloween haunted attraction and finds the atmosphere is similar to a college campus. Before too long, a killer is picking off the cast members.

I started this was very low expectations, only half paying attention because I expected it to be the usual straight-to-streaming dreck. And although it does suffer from some of the low-budget trappings, I was gradually sucked in. The characters are likeable, fairly rounded and distinctive, the acting's surprisingly good, there are practical splatter FX, it's well shot with good tension... and I found myself weirdly rooting for the killer once their motivations became clear.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's an enjoyable little slasher movie (that would probably play really well with an audience), and it's better than a lot of similar stuff that you'll find on streaming. In 30 years, it could easily be a beloved cult classic.

Behind the Screams: Haunt Season Blends Drama and Gore in a Haunted House Setting

I enjoyed Haunt Season for several reasons. The characters are likable and well-developed, with realistic social issues like financial stress and job worries. Watching actors and makeup artists prep for the haunted house is intriguing. Though the film has well-crafted gore, it leans more toward drama than horror, and isn't particularly scary. For those looking for a true scare, Hell House LLC does a better job delivering thrills. Still, Haunt Season stands out with its unique approach to haunted attractions, blending character depth with a backstage look that adds authenticity.

Even though it had a lot of bad reviews, I had to give this movie a chance just for the fact that it is set in a haunted attraction. This blossoming horror sub-genre hasn't produced very many great films yet, and maybe there won't be any more besides Hell House, but I will watch all of them I can find. Any time the action takes place in some kind of theme park or elaborate haunt, I will want to see how it turned out visually. I thought Haunt Season was one of the better efforts that has used this device. The characters were only midly interesting, but it was enough to make me want to see what happened to them. I do think it was pretty funny that one of the fake reviewers actually titled his post "Hard to believe this is an Independant film!" No one will NOT believe that. But I thought there was a level of effort visible that made me believe that this was made by people who really wanted to give us something fun, and I appreciate that.