10/31 An Indie Horror Anthology That You Need to See-Fitz of Horror
I’ll start by saying that I love horror anthologies and holiday centered horror flicks so I may be a bit biased but damn this was a great movie!
Synopsis-A Halloween treat bag of all the things that go bump in the night. From masked killers to scarecrows, witches and tricksters. There’s a scare for everyone in this anthology of horror and the macabre from the creators of The Barn and Volumes of Blood.
There are 5 segments (6 counting the wraparound) and each of them are new and fresh. It was evident that the directors were having a ton of fun with this project and the final outcome is a movie that will surely be an October must watch horror movie that will compliment your Halloween horror rotation.
| Brett DeJager | … | (‘The Halloween Blizzard of ’91’ segment) |
| Rocky Gray | … | (‘The Samhain Slasher’ segment) |
| Zane Hershberger | … | (‘Trespassers’ segment) |
| John William Holt | … | (‘Killing The Dance’ segment) |
| Hunter Johnson | … | (segment “Malvolia: the Queen of Screams”) |
| Justin M. Seaman | … | (‘The Old Hag’ segment) |
The Old Hag- Directed by Justin M. Seaman (The Barn)- Two guys are trying to shoot a commercial for a bed and breakfast and one of them keeps seeing a gnarly old hag. Is he just seeing things or is she really there? Great make up and score as well as a decent twist.
Tresspassers- Directed by Zane Hershberger (cinematographer The Barn)- A boring guy and a thrill seeking girl have a lame first date on Halloween night so she decides to take them to the towns own horror house, a place where a father murdered his entire family after a mysterious scarecrow appears on their property. The scarecrow is back and they are trespassing on his land. Another segment with great practical creature FX and a solid ending.
Killing the Dance-Directed by John William Holt (The Dooms Chapel Horror)- An older sister has to unwillingly babysit her younger brother on Halloween night while she works her shift at the skating rink. Some of the shots are too long and slightly repetitive but the music is great and the villain in this segment is so over the top creepy and original that I will wholeheartedly forgive any perceived shortcomings. I also loved the end of this segment.
Halloween Blizzard of 1991– Directed by Brett DeJager (Bonejangles)-This segment can technically be considered a Christmas horror piece since Santa Clause himself makes an appearance. Christmas and Halloween face off in this fun segment full of creepiness.
The Samhain Slasher– Directed by Rocky Gray (Composer for The Barn and Volumes of Blood, former Evenescence drummer)- This is Rocky’s directorial debut so I will say that although I felt it was the weakest segment of the film, it definitely showed potential. It seemed to be a solid slasher story that should have been 2 hours but it was crammed into 20 minutes. On the upside, there was great gore and some cool kills and I’m excited to see the progression on what he directs or produces next.
The Wraparound segment-Malvolia’s Halloween Monster Marathon- Directed by Hunter Johnson (Irrational Fear)-It’s not the most involved wraparound story ever but it matched the fun of the rest of the movie and it felt right. The voluptuous Elvira-like character was a great addition to the story.
I watched this movie and instantly fell in love with it. Although it did feel strange watching a Halloween themed movie in January, I’m really glad I didn’t wait and you shouldn’t either!
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Bryan Fitzgerald
I am a huge fan and supporter of independent horror and the dedicated people involved. I grew up watching all of the great slasher films of the 80s and also have a love for creature features and anthology horror. As horror fans the best way to help indie horror is to talk about it and to spread the word.