Natty Knocks

I came across this whole looking for a movie to stream. While I am a big fan of Richer Englund bill Moseley and Danielle Harris. I was not a big fan of this movie. But not due to the lack of bad acting or actors or even the cinematography. But they the storyline of the movie itself. The beginning of the movie had nothing to do with the rest of the entire film. The second act of the movie had nothing to do with the end of the film either. And the third act of the movie spouted out a whole bunch of nonsense that made the movie make even less sense than the rest of it. But overall I've seen far worse movies.

After witnessing a kill in action, a teen and his friends are insistent on proving the actions took place when no one believes them and are soon set upon by the killer himself as he tries to play out the work of his late actress mother who was burned alive as a witch years ago and is intent on making the town pay.

This was a somewhat underwhelming if still likable enough effort. Among the likable aspects of this one is the inclusion of the serial killer storyline into a film involving the spirit of a witch coming back for revenge. The means through which the kids are introduced as they're skipping school and stumble upon the location where he's involved with the torment of the victim and then sets his sights on them while they try to make everyone aware of what's going on. As this goes along nicely with the secondary setup of the life of the killer sitting around watching various horror scenes of his mother's actress days like they're home movies that manage to include some solid shocks, it sets off a generally enjoyable time. The only other aspect of this one that comes off rather well is the finale where it manages to get some action going again. With the killer finally given a reason to strike as the clues to what's going on finally come together, the incidents surrounding everything from the attack at the haunted house they visit and the subsequent abduction at their house all feature some intriguing action to set this going rather nicely. The big confrontation in the killer's house that ends this is a bit on the brief side but still manages to get enough twists, surprise reveals, and a nice bit of brutal action that results in a fun finish that has a lot of nice gore as well thrown in which give this one enough to like to make it entertaining enough. However, there are some big issues with this one. One of its biggest drawbacks is that the setup to this one is just not that well-developed and really loses interest quite easily. The small-town folklore of the witch living there, and the game associated with it, the involvement of the family, and how they draw the attention of the killer is all good enough on its own but is just so dreary that it's quite easy to be bored with the lack of action on display. The back-and-forth interactions that take place as a main part of the film's setup manage to bring more of a lackluster overall pace that isn't all that interesting nor make the group all that interesting to follow along with as none of this setup makes anyone likable or worthwhile in wanting to follow along with them. The other issue here is the fact that there's not a whole lot of sense that runs through this one. With the initial setup here supposedly being the killer stalking the babysitter for what they know about his crimes but then also mixing together a witch that moves into the town where they live but not being a vengeful spirit witch and some interpersonal drama taking place around this central storyline, it doesn't really feel connected to anything and more as several random storylines chucked together to make the movie. These end up being the main factors that hold this back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, and a brief clothed sex scene.

I went into this expecting to see a movie reuniting director Dwight Little and Danielle Harris of HALLOWEEN 4 and did not get that at all.

I know people worked on this project so I don't want to sound too harsh in my review. But it might sound harsh, so read at your own discretion if you were part of the making of this movie.

The story is all over the place, so much so that it's hard to even explain. It's alot more complex than the synopsis tells.

A killer obsessed with a b horror actress of the 70s who was killed because she was a witch? Teenagers caught in the middle of the mayhem and all taking place on Halloween.

The focus of the fall season and the holiday itself is barely represented in the movie. And any parts that are halloween and fall focused are more forced than genuine.

The acting is hard to judge because the dialogue is so atrocious. It's not like the actors had much to work with.

Danielle Harris has about 10 minutes or less of screen time. Robert Englund the same.

The movie is promoted as starring the 2 aforementioned stars but is seriously misleading.

I'm surprised that Dwight Little touched this. He's done some truly great work.

There are some nice vibrant color pallets used but that's really the only positive I have. That and danielle looks great as usual.

But the movie has a runtime that feels longer than it is.

It felt like a student project.

Anyway, I paid $17 to watch and support this on YouTube. It wasn't worth it but at least fulfilled my curiosity.

I'm so disappointed. Seeing the names Danielle Harris and Dwight Little together again was exciting as HALLOWEEN 4 is my favorite slasher movie of all time.

What is it going to take to get Danielle back into a decent movie released in theatres in a role with a good amount of meat on its bone?

Her talent continues to be wasted on abysmal material that she is so far above. Her last remarkable performance was Rob Zombies HALLOWEEN II.

She deserves better.

Thumbs down from this guy.

After watching 4 or 5 stinkers in a row, this one stood out as actually... good, at least in relative terms. This has a lot going for it in competent direction, good audio/lighting, stable camera, scene framing that made sense, and better than average acting. The story was homage-good, although a little leaky- but actually having one was a nice touch. Besides a few veteran greats in here with Harris, Moseley, and Englund, the young leads were far better than expected. Charlotte as Britt is very charismatic and delivers well. Thomas Robie as Wyatt showed good restraint in places where young actors typically overdo it. The one distraction was the age issue. I was trying to overlook that Wyatt looked basically the same age as Britt, and even Jolie was too old for a high-school sitter and to be crying often. But hey, the skill trade-off was worth overlooking this. This is more of a family-friendly (PG13) homage horror than say, the Hatchet series, but it's still better than quite a few I've seen lately. I recommend it if you try to catch all the new lower/mid budget offerings or indies.

No pun intended - I really did not want to think too much about my summary line. Casting wise this really made some great choices (even in smaller roles like Englund). But even with Moseley in a bigger role (and he is giving it his all, no holding back punches then). The story is quite simple and I think quite predictable to say the least.

The movie also looks good and it has nice effects, but I am quite certain it will leave you cold - shame because there was something there, with a "new" story to tell. We have seen the revenge angle before - but you can twist and tweak things. Try to find something unique maybe .. or at least focus on one thing or another.

Add to that quite the convoluted and bad ending too ... well I may have been too nice again .. but it is Bill Moseley ... and he is really good, no matter what.