Hallows Eve

I'll admit I only gave this a chance because of the fantastic cover art by Graham Humpreys, who if you didn't know already is responsible for some of the greatest VHS horror cover art of the 1980's. What I got was one of the worst acted, unoriginal, and terrible films that I've seen for years.

The acting from pretty much the entire cast was unbelievable bad, especially the main kid Derren played by Ethan Taylor. Obviously the cast aren't Oscar winning actors, but even for unknowns there was some unforgivable displays of 'acting' throughout. The sound mixing was also a massive issue in some scenes and felt like I was watching an old school Jackie Chan film at times.

The attempt to create a Halloween atmosphere littered with pumpkins and various other decorations around the estate, while wasn't a bad effort just didn't really add anything, and the need to add even more pumpkins to the third act of the film in the abandoned factory setting was just completely unnecessary and just seemed forced to try and create a 'spooky' atmosphere and failing miserably.

Overall though it really is a boring, clichéd, drab piece of work which will no doubt be found on the horror channel repeating itself every other week, or in the bargain section of HMV.

There's more to this movie than meets the eye, it's a low budget affair - sure - but it's well shot, excellently scored, has a good tight script and it's heart is definitely in the right place!

'Hallows Eve' or 'Attack of the Thug-Trashing Sack Heads' is a serviceable low budget, high-polish British horror/thriller gloomily set on the crime beleaguered Hallows Estate. This deprived, volatile suburb is being threateningly daubed with some especially evil-looking graffiti, grimly forewarning the locals of 'Haddonfield' of some terrible pending event on Halloween Night. While the acting performances are variable, they are,frankly, a little 'generic', but the energised Sarah Akokhia certainly puts in a feisty show as the enjoyably boisterous 'Cassie', and the script, is, shall we say, perfunctorily adequate, it made for a passable terror-tinged time-waster, and Director Brad Watson's sinister synth score, is, for me, the film's true glistering highlight. And to the film-makers enormous credit, the smart camera work is very accomplished, the more eloquent shots proving to be remarkably effective, having some deliciously moody lighting flourishes, but, sadly, 'Hallows Eve' ultimately lacked the knock-out punch, the Grange Hill theatrics, dearth of risk taking, and the bizarrely tame kills overall make 'Hallows Eve' a trifle anaemic, and I personally would have prescribed a grisly infusion of greatly revivifying gore, all that being said, it looks pretty spiffy, and non-gorehounds might still get a kick out of it, worth watching the next time it comes on the ol' telly box.

Shame i gave it a 1 star because it was a pretty good story, but the acting was bad and i mean really bad. not worth watching just for the story. please dont waste your time on this

Good idea and story line, but the acting is laughable and really let the movie down.