Haunt Season

Watched this because I knew the director from their PoPs series, which was great. Several of the actors from that also showed up here, unsurprisingly, and I liked to see them again.

This was a fun halloween film! I did not realize it was going to be literally haunted house carnival-based, which is a great setting for a movie about people getting killed, without it being really eerie or horrific. And it allows for a lot of kitchy props, which makes it budgetfriendly to make I imagine.

I felt the music and sound effects could have used more love, but I liked the actors' performances! Especially the killer was great, I felt like I knew them from something else, some bigger production.

I'll be showing this to my fiancee, who isn't into horror but I think she could appreciate a halloweeny slasher :)

Behind the Screams: Haunt Season Blends Drama and Gore in a Haunted House Setting

I enjoyed Haunt Season for several reasons. The characters are likable and well-developed, with realistic social issues like financial stress and job worries. Watching actors and makeup artists prep for the haunted house is intriguing. Though the film has well-crafted gore, it leans more toward drama than horror, and isn't particularly scary. For those looking for a true scare, Hell House LLC does a better job delivering thrills. Still, Haunt Season stands out with its unique approach to haunted attractions, blending character depth with a backstage look that adds authenticity.

When i saw the poster/cover for this movie on my Xbox i was immediately drawn to it, and the trailer reminded me of one of my favorite Halloween movie, Hell Fest. I really expected this to be a slasher happening in one big Halloween attraction like it.

But that was not really it. You do get some nice scenes/set pieces in the haunted house but the atmosphere and such is not used to its full potential or set up enough of the kills.

I understand this was a low budget movie from a passionate team, and there was a few nice kills for these standards but after having seen Terrifier 3 recently, this is nowhere near it when it comes to what is shown. Could it be budget limitation or simply rated related? I can't say.

But while the kills are very acceptable, and the performances from the actors "alright" for the most part, its really when it comes to atmosphere and music i wish the movie had done better. For instance blending more actual real kills with fake attractions ones.

I know the old school synth is a throw back to horror movies of the 80s and such, and its a deliberate choice, but you can't just throw that randomly and call it a day. I felt the music didn't fit much with what was going on screen.

The movie is very crowded and lots of the actors are in costume or make-up so it took me a little while to really set everyone apart. We do spend more time with certain characters than others. These one were better fleshed out, but some others i kinda forgot at times they were even part of the attraction.

Without spoiling anything, i was underwhelmed by the killer's reveal. It happen so anti-climactic and their motivations remain pretty vague.

That said, it was not a bad time for me. Its rather short at standard 90 minutes or so and if you watch it in mind its done on a small budget for the love of the genre, its an alright movie.

In my case i am just a bit disapointed because based on the trailer i really taught it would be my coolest surprise of 2024 Halloween Season, like Hellfest was a few years back.

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.

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.