All Hallows' Eve (2013)
Starring: Katie Maguire, Mike Giannelli, Catherine A. Callahan
Writer and Director: Damien Leone
Synopsis (From Facebook):
While watching two children on
Halloween night, Sarah find an old VHS tape in one of the kid's trick or
treat bag. The tape features three tales of terror, all linked
together by a murderous clown. As the night goes on strange things
begin to occur in the house. It isn't long before the babysitter
learns the horrifying truth... the clown is slowly making his way
into her reality.
Review:
All Hallows' Eve is sadly a film with a
good premise but terrible execution. I like a lot of movies that even I
can admit to being bad, so it's pretty rare when I view something and
wish I had my time back. Maybe I'm not being totally fair; there are
some admirable qualities in this, but they are few and far between.
The movie is obviously Halloween
themed, featuring 3 stories with a wraparound- all of which in one
way or another feature a clown named Art. Sarah lets the two kids
stay up and watch the first story on the mystery tape. It's about
a woman in a train station, who after meeting Art, becomes captive
with two other females. After the story is over, Sarah deems the film
too violent for young eyes and sends the kids off to bed. It's
quickly apparent that all is not well in the house on this Halloween
night. Sarah decides to pop the tape back in and watch the next
story- a couple have just moved into a secluded house. The girl
is home alone, and the house is left powerless, after what she thinks
is a meteor, lands nearby. The story finishes and the eeriness in the
house becomes more evident for Sarah. Still, she decides to finish
the video. The third story deals with a film costume designer
stopping to get gas, where she sees Art the Clown. Afterward, it's a
race to stay alive. And of course, once this final story is complete,
we find out just what's going on with the wraparound story, and if
things are going to end well for Sarah and the two kids she is babysitting.
Let me just come right out and say that
my favorite thing about All Hallows' Eve is that the original Night
of the Living Dead is playing on the television during the wraparound
story. Watching NOTLD on Halloween has been a tradition for me longer
than I can honestly remember. So, when this flick started out with a nod like that, I was in a good mood. Then, the promise of an eerie
tape found in a Halloween bag made the film seem even more on point.
It very much has a V/H/S vibe to it in that respect. This film has an absolute TON of homages to it. Dialog about Art the
Clown only being able to wreak havoc within the video tape screamed
reference to Laurie Strode, when she talks to Tommy about the boogeyman only coming out on Halloween -not to mention, the whole
babysitter-in-peril vibe throughout the wraparound. Jon and Alex
Kaplan provide a Halloween Jingle insanely reminiscent of the Silver
Shamrock theme in Halloween III. Additionally, Noir Deco's film
score, while good, is often a near clone to John
Carpenter and Alan Howarth's work in Season of the Witch... and They
Live... and any other collaboration of the two you can think of. The
3Rd of the three main stories is an obvious nod to The
Hitch-hiker from Creepshow 2. You can really go on an on here with
pointing out homages; All Hallows' Eve carries the nods proudly on
its shoulders.
Normally, I love when a film pays
respect to classic moments in horror. Didn't work for me here. Matter
of fact, it all just felt kinda lazy. When it got to the final
story (which was admittedly my favorite) I honestly scoffed out loud
over music on the radio and commercial chatter. Enough was enough at
that point.
Onto Art the Clown. Usually, clowns
scare me enough to piss my pants, but I wasn't affected by him in any
way. It has nothing to do with the actor's performance; I think it's
more or less his image. Traditional type clowns are the kind that
have a creep factor- the kind that look happy and harmless. That's
what makes them scary. Art looks evil from the get-go, so it doesn't
really work.
A positive I have for All Hallow's Eve
is the special effects. I found the gore competent and, without
giving a lot away, there's some cool things you'll see in the first
story.
Also, while the score by Noir Deco is
so Carpenter/Howarth that it hurts, it is a good element here.
There's also a Phantasm vibe in bits of it. If I'm being honest, it's
probably my favorite aspect out of the whole movie.
Final Thoughts:
At the end of the day, this just didn't
put me in the Halloween spirit, and I really wanted it to. That's not
to say I have any disrespect against writer/director Damien Leone, as
I do feel like his heart is in the right place. I'll for sure check
out any further efforts and hope for the best. And hey, there's
always that chance that you, dear readers, will appreciate All
Hallows' Eve more than I did. If it sounds like your cup of Halloween
spiked punch, by all means, seek it out. I wish you the best.
Available October 29th, 2013, from RLJ/Image Entertainment. Order HERE.
- Eric (Brobocop)
