The Terror of Hallow's Eve

In The Terror of Hallows Eve, a teenager called Tim - who is a budding special effects artist - is beaten up by some bad guys in his neighbourhood. In his frustration and thanks to a magic pumpkin, he summons a devious imp called "The Trickster" who is like a genie/jester and persuades Tim to play "the real" trick or treat on his assailants ...

This is the plot in a nutshell and it's easy to see where it goes from there. It bears similarities to 80's classics such as Trick or Treat, House and Waxwork, though different enough from any of those.

It's a solid movie but I felt it went a bit awry towards the end, with scenes feeling somewhat irrelevant. What I enjoyed most is it's a kind of movie that's been missing from the horror genre for a while. It's a more intimate version of Wishmaster but, if compared directly to it, fares well in the area of character and script which are both much more interesting but when the FX kick off, doesn't quite have the impact it should. The special effects were cool, traditional non-cg effects but at times didn't gel so well with the plot and felt a bit like they were there just for their own sake. I liked The Trickster but he too could arguably have been utilised better in the second half.

It's well acted and visually really good but you might find yourself a tad disconnected towards the end, which is a shame because it starts out really well.

Good but not excellent.