The Terror of Hallow's Eve

I came into thinking this would be bad and I was surprised how fun this movie is. Reminds me of Goosebumps or Are you Afraid of the Dark but for an older audience. Solid movie

You may not identify with the lead character, but he is being as real and as well painted as he can. And that has something to do, that the boy is based on the directors childhood. Some look for comedy in their search for their own truth. He went on and made practical effects, dolls and other stuff to pass time (and scare people too as a byproduct).

The story itself is a bit predictable, but you can feel the love for the genre, the love for filmmaking, in every pore of this movie. So while this isn't without its flaws, it has enough tension and especially effects to hold the viewers attention. If that sounds like something you can also get excited about, you probably will have a good time watching this. I know it had an overall good reaction at Frightfest where it played

In The Terror of Hallows Eve, a teenager called Tim - who is a budding special effects artist - is beaten up by some bad guys in his neighbourhood. In his frustration and thanks to a magic pumpkin, he summons a devious imp called "The Trickster" who is like a genie/jester and persuades Tim to play "the real" trick or treat on his assailants ...

This is the plot in a nutshell and it's easy to see where it goes from there. It bears similarities to 80's classics such as Trick or Treat, House and Waxwork, though different enough from any of those.

It's a solid movie but I felt it went a bit awry towards the end, with scenes feeling somewhat irrelevant. What I enjoyed most is it's a kind of movie that's been missing from the horror genre for a while. It's a more intimate version of Wishmaster but, if compared directly to it, fares well in the area of character and script which are both much more interesting but when the FX kick off, doesn't quite have the impact it should. The special effects were cool, traditional non-cg effects but at times didn't gel so well with the plot and felt a bit like they were there just for their own sake. I liked The Trickster but he too could arguably have been utilised better in the second half.

It's well acted and visually really good but you might find yourself a tad disconnected towards the end, which is a shame because it starts out really well.

Good but not excellent.

Quite honestly, this was one of the better movies I've seen in the more horror-lite fantasy genre. Probably a hair beyond what I would call a "family movie," but teenagers would be ok, and it's got just enough edge to keep them satisfied.

In any case, my comments are more about content than anything. Had there been more gore, this would have been an 8-9 for me. Very decent all around flick.

As with with most horror/fantasy movies, don't go looking for the holes or you will find them. Just sit back, take what you're given, and enjoy.

Parental content:

NUDITY/SEX: only slight to moderate. Not much in the way of anything, but there are multiple connotative remarks and lead-ins.

PROFANITY: yeh...a handful of examples. Not overly gratuitous in any way, but there are some places where f-bombs are dropped.

INTENSE SCENES: moderate at best. The theme of the movie is "scaring bullies to death," so there are a couple of jump-scares, but nothing that should give most adults a heart attack. Well done scenes, to say the least.

VIOLENCE/GORE: quite frankly, I didn't think there would be anything along these lines, but there are a handful of scenes that yield blood and minor gore. I would classify this as "moderate," but definitely not severe, even with the most intense of scenes.

A fun, well made flick that should be enjoyable for all ages of fans, though, likely not appropriate for children under 13-15ish age. Good script, decent acting, moderately good special fx...it's nowhere near perfect, but it doesn't need to be in order to succeed at being entertaining. And that it is!

Basically, it's like Rodriguez or Tarantino met Tim Burton and made a, not so scary Halloween movie. It's unique...I'll give it that.