Haunt Season

Stumbling upon the 2024 horror movie "Haunt Season" by random chance, of course I opted to watch the movie as I enjoy all things horror. Sure, I had never heard about this movie, but it being a horror movie was essentially all that was necessary for me to want to give it a fair chance.

Now, the storyline in "Haunt Season" was pretty straightforward, if not rather simplistic. Writer and director Jake Jarvi put together a fair enough script, which is suitable for a single viewing if you enjoy horror slashers. The movie is centered around a haunt attraction, wherein someone is literally killing people.

I was not familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, and that is actually something I rather enjoy when I watch a movie. And while I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble, I will still say that the acting performances in the movie were good.

The effects in "Haunt Season" were actually not bad. And there were sufficient enough mayhem and bloodshed to keep a seasoned gorehound veteran such as myself content.

The sets were good, and they definitely put a lot of effort into constructing the sets and working out something atmospheric for the movie.

While "Haunt Season" is not going to be a horror classic, it is a movie that is fun enough to check out and watch if you enjoy horror movies. It is, however, not a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing, as writer and director Jake Jarvi didn't really bring anything innovative or outstanding to the horror genre. But if you enjoy horror movies, I would say definitely check out this 2024 movie.

My rating of writer and director Jake Jarvi's 2024 movie "Haunt Season" lands on a five out of ten stars.

In the Realm of Terror, a haunted house at a Carnival, the performer Taylor (Ana Dragovich) is murdered by a maniac wearing costumer. She vanishes and her colleagues believe she has flaked out, and the manager Bradford (Stephen Kristof) replaces her by the wannabe actress Matilda (Sarah Elizabeth), who has a powerful scream, to be scalped many times during the show. Soon, other performers are murdered by the maniac, who plans a crime spree on the All Hallows Eve.

"Haunt Season" (2024) is a very bad slasher, with a poor storyline and awful dialogs. The way Stephen Kristof speaks is very difficult to be understood, at least for a viewer not native in English. The gore is intense but with no character development. The best scene is the funny sequence at the bowling, when the manic Danny makes the people cheer for him to kill Matilda. Indeed, it is the best moment of this forgettable movie. My advice is, if you are not cast, crew, member of the family or friend of them, do not waste your time watching this flick. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): Not Available.

So firstly and most importantly some of the reviews for this movie are obviously fake. They have over the top praise and 8-10/10 scores which is ludicrous. Basically they are suggesting this movie is amongst the all time cinema classics ......that or they've literally just burst out of an alien egg and never seen any other movie before! The former is the most viable answer.

Fake scores actually damage the movie they try to promote and other movies. People who might actually watch but see these fake reviews are put off and people then suspect other movies with unbelievably high scores especially indie are also over rated.

As for the actual movie. It's okay. Not really scary and a bit campy. Way too much dialogue and not enough action. But the acting is okay and the cinematography and sound are good. It's more like a mild comedy drama parody of a horror show ... Which would be fine if they weren't trying to pretend it was the next Scream!

+1 For actually making a film +1 For pretty good acting from unknowns +1 For production values.

+1 For doing something a bit different

Score 4

Note to cast and crew etc

Don't overhype your movie! If you don't think you can make a good movie do something else. Don't try to push it with fake reviews.

I genuinely wanted to enjoy Haunted Season. The trailer promised a solid horror experience within its subgenre-perhaps not groundbreaking, but at least something entertaining. Sadly, the film itself turned out to be a letdown. Poor directing, cringeworthy dialogue, and acting straight out of a high school drama class completely sank any hopes I had.

Admittedly, the cinematography was decent-at least someone on set seemed to know which direction to point the camera. Initially, I suspected this was an earnest attempt by recent film grads, so I was prepared to overlook some rookie mistakes. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the director is in his 40s with twenty years of filmmaking experience behind him. If this is his best after two decades, perhaps a career change should be considered.

Ultimately, Haunted Season isn't frightening or engaging-it's just disappointing. Save yourself the trouble and find a film made by someone who still enjoys making movies.

Haunt Season (2024) promises 80s horror nostalgia but delivers something closer to a lifeless séance. While its lighting and cinematography are undeniably stunning, evoking the colour-drenched visuals of Halloween or Suspiria, the rest of the film feels as flat as the characters it fails to bring to life.

The writer tries to add emotional depth, but the characters are stock archetypes without the spark to make you care. Despite decent acting, the lacklustre dialogue leaves even the cast struggling to inject energy into their performances.

Pacing is where Haunt Season truly stumbles. Horror relies on building tension or delivering shocks, but here, the film drags through superfluous scenes with sporadic, unimpressive gore. Even the promise of audacious, gory 80s fun is squandered in favor of playing it safe.

The final scene is a visual and emotional triumph-a reminder of what the film could have been. But one strong ending can't save a thriller that mostly leaves you waiting for it to deliver on its potential. Watch it for the visuals, but don't expect it to leave a lasting impression.