HauntedWeen

This forgotten slasher is obviously very low budget but is in my opinion a lot of fun, and they did much with very little. Had this been released about a decade earlier, it probably would have had a much bigger following, Many early horror films received a boost from the new video market of the early 80s. Distributers were pulling out anything horror to satisfy the demand. HauntedWeen would have filled that demand nicely I think.

There is not much plot, there's not a lot of backstory, there is no huge twist at the end. Many of the early scenes are more like a bad Animal House rip-off than a horror film, but I think there was a genuine attempt at character development, and while the acting isn't great, it works. Another nice inclusion are lots of boobies, and not just the plastic kind on a size zero. A scene with the frat on a pontoon showcases a seriously thick girl who isn't ashamed of anything. Shes really got the junk in he trunk something rarely seen in any film. I liked this film a lot more than I was expecting. It's nothing ground breaking, or thought provoking, but it scratches that Halloween itch for me. To sum it up boobs, blood and Burber House. Check it out!

I had never heard about this movie that carried the odd title of "HauntedWeen" when I stumbled upon it here in 2024. But with it being a horror comedy that I had not seen, much less ever heard about, of course I opted to watch it, as I do enjoy horror comedies.

It should be noted that I didn't really expect much from the movie, given its title and the fact that I had never heard about it. So in a sense, writer and director Doug Robertson had every opportunity to entertain and impress me with this 1991 movie.

The movie starts out with a theme that definitely were riding along on the success of the theme from the "Halloween" franchise, except it wasn't nearly as memorable or catchy a tune.

The storyline was very much something you'd expect from a late 1980s horror movie, so I guess writer Doug Robertson was straggling a couple of years behind schedule. So was it a good movie? No, not really. It was rather bland and generic, and didn't manage to stand out among so many other, and far better, horror movies from the same period of time. And that makes "HauntedWeen" a rather forgettable movie. There were a couple of kills throughout the course of the movie, but hardly something that made it particularly worthwhile sitting through 88 minutes.

"HauntedWeen" is listed as a horror comedy, but there wasn't an ounce of comedy throughout the course of the movie.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. Some of the performances were fair enough, while others were somewhat rigid and wooden. Not exactly the finest moment of horror cinema.

This is not a movie that I would recommend to horror fans. Nor is it a movie that will ever make a second round on my screen.

My rating of writer and director Doug Robertson's 1991 horror comedy "HauntedWeen" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

By far the worst horror movie I have ever seen. It has the potential of a bad Pauly Shore movie with the filmmaking of Ernest Goes to School. The music sounds like something I would hear playing Duke Nukem on the computer. The story is very cheesy and driven by God knows what, the acting is even more cheesy. I though Meateater was bad, but this one defiantly takes the cake. At least Meateater lacked only acting, this movie lacks everything. I understand where the story came from, but is so stupid I can't see why someone actually put it on paper. Let's bash the cinematography shall we. There is no color in this movie. I love the old horror movie film quality (not necessarily vintage type film), but in order to set a mood you must have that quality, whether it's in lighting, filters, gels, etc. This movie lacked all of that and was so bad I could barely sit through the whole thing. That's why I kept my hand on the fast forward button. I have seen bad horror movies, but they are usually bad because of acting, or they have unrealistic situations, or poorly driven story line. I don't know what drives a person to make crap like this, but I really hope the pathetic actors choose to leave this off their resumes.

Hauntedween is a film that tiptoes on the fine line between clever indie brilliance and hokey B-movie charm, occasionally stumbling but never quite falling flat. The story-a dark psychological thriller with just a whiff of campfire horror-is nothing groundbreaking, but it's executed with enough originality to stand out in a genre cluttered with dime-a-dozen knockoffs. Think Halloween meets The Cabin in the Woods, if both were directed by someone who forgot their tripod.

The acting and direction are serviceable-nothing to write home about, but nothing to burn the house down over either. And the effects? Let's just say the wet-work is more "spray bottle of ketchup" than "Oscar-worthy gore." But there's an endearing sense of humour woven into the film's cheaper moments, like a knowing wink from a cult movie that's aware of its own limitations.

The biggest gripe here is the marketing: Hauntedween isn't horror-it's a psychological thriller that uses horror tropes as window dressing. So, if you're expecting spine-chilling terror, you'll be left colder than a cemetery breeze. That said, this is a thoroughly entertaining watch for those who appreciate a clever story with some campy seasoning. Grab some popcorn and let the low-budget mayhem roll.

For such a cheaply made, no-budget movie, HauntedWeen is at least entertaining for the most part. Acting, as expected, is about as bad as it gets at times with most of the cast either striking a chord somewhere between flat and monotone or so overly enthusiastic as to appear subhuman.

Some good kill scenes, effects, and setups that reminded me of newer films such as Hell Fest and Haunt. It's not a movie that anyone needs to be in a great hurry to see, but it kept me entertained.