The majority of the recent Horror remakes have been done with the backing of major studios. They’re no fools and know that this is a big money maker and it looks like it will be for some time. The upside to this is that some of them turned out to be good films in their own right. But there are those few that are made for TV or independently, the latter of which are more likely to be a labor of love. With most of the classics having been redone, filmmakers have now turned to more underground cult Horror films and it was only a matter of time before Kevin S. Tenney’s 1988 flick about demons in a house on Halloween was updated. The good news is, it’s one of the best of the recent remakes.
Pros: Director/co-writer Adam Gierasch puts on an impressive show here, with some stylish touches and tons of energy. The cast is game and really get into their roles. A pretty good score and fun punk rock soundtrack. Made with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Excellent make-up and visual effects. Well-paced. A few neat ideas. Some great gore gags.
Cons: Like the original it takes quite a while to get to the pandemonium. Not that the characters in the original had much more dimension, but most of the ones here are way underdeveloped and so how can we get attached? The very end is a bit of a head scratcher.
Final thoughts: The wait for this film to be released was a long one and when that happens you hope it’ll be worth it. Personally, I think it was and was very impressed by this update of the cult classic. Has much more to offer than a lot of remakes, which are little more than exercises in greed. The people behind this set out to make a fun popcorn Horror flick perfect for watching at Halloween time and succeeded. Here’s to hoping there’s at least one sequel.
