Haunt Season

So firstly and most importantly some of the reviews for this movie are obviously fake. They have over the top praise and 8-10/10 scores which is ludicrous. Basically they are suggesting this movie is amongst the all time cinema classics ......that or they've literally just burst out of an alien egg and never seen any other movie before! The former is the most viable answer.

Fake scores actually damage the movie they try to promote and other movies. People who might actually watch but see these fake reviews are put off and people then suspect other movies with unbelievably high scores especially indie are also over rated.

As for the actual movie. It's okay. Not really scary and a bit campy. Way too much dialogue and not enough action. But the acting is okay and the cinematography and sound are good. It's more like a mild comedy drama parody of a horror show ... Which would be fine if they weren't trying to pretend it was the next Scream!

+1 For actually making a film +1 For pretty good acting from unknowns +1 For production values.

+1 For doing something a bit different

Score 4

Note to cast and crew etc

Don't overhype your movie! If you don't think you can make a good movie do something else. Don't try to push it with fake reviews.

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.

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.

I thought this was an enjoyable slasher flick.

The main actress Sarah Elizabeth has a natural beauty and a real poise that makes her down to earth and very likeable. I was surprised this was her first and only film credit. Hope to see more of her in future projects.

The other standout actress was Janet Jurado. She also brought that likeable realistic presence that just worked so well. Its always refreshing to see a character in a horror film that acts accordingly and not doing stupid things and getting killed.

This is a low budget film but I did like that it had the early 00s indie film look. I always enjoyed that aesthetic because it gives it a sense of realism but still has a cinematic look to it. In other words, it doesn't look cheap like some movies that even in recent years tend to look like they were shot on a camcorder.

The haunted house theme was fun to see because it focused more on the setup rather than having the viewer go all through the maze full of quick cuts and shaky cam. I thought the escape room setting was entertaining despite how brief it was. Its the characters that made every scene work. I liked the trio of girls in this that were relatable and "normal". They were the kind of people you could find in such a setting and just hang out with. There was no overdramtic acting or much in the way of cliches. I really appreciated that.

The costumes in this were interesting and varied enough to not make it the same old tired thing when it comes to slasher films. It did leave me wondering who the killer is for the first half of the film.

I would think that this film was lacking maybe another 15 to 20 minutes just for the sake of spending more time with these likeable characters. When people were getting killed off , it was sad, but I felt like the emotion could really be taken up a notch if those characters had more screen time.

The villain...while not great.. was imposing in his own way. I think the reveal was maybe too soon but I did like that we see that villain a little off the rails , as opposed to someone that wants revenge or is disgruntled for something someone did.

The subtle jokes were cool to me. It continued in that down to earth , mellow, realistic sense. I think that dry humor was sarcastic but not all "in your face" like most low budget horror films tend to do.

The music fit certain scenes without being over the top or gimmicky. I thought the end credits track fit with the trio of characters. It kept me watching all till the very end.

Overall, I had a good time with this one. The trailer didn't exactly draw me in much, but I'm glad I went in with no expectations. I'd put this in the ranks of something like Satan's Little Helper, where you had a fairly basic premise, but with likeable realistic characters that keep you watching.

Watched this because I knew the director from their PoPs series, which was great. Several of the actors from that also showed up here, unsurprisingly, and I liked to see them again.

This was a fun halloween film! I did not realize it was going to be literally haunted house carnival-based, which is a great setting for a movie about people getting killed, without it being really eerie or horrific. And it allows for a lot of kitchy props, which makes it budgetfriendly to make I imagine.

I felt the music and sound effects could have used more love, but I liked the actors' performances! Especially the killer was great, I felt like I knew them from something else, some bigger production.

I'll be showing this to my fiancee, who isn't into horror but I think she could appreciate a halloweeny slasher :)