The Jack in the Box Rises

This is definitely the weakest of the franchise. Yes, none are going to win any awards, but are worth the watch with some decent kill scenes and this is where this installment fails as it doesn't really show much of it, which is disappointing. The story itself is not the best and I just didn't connect with the main characters, and we're supposed to believe some grammar school is in this decrepit building and some how these girls are able to battle off the demon. I don't think so, but still worth the watch to compete the trilogy. Apparently there is a fourth installment on the horizon and I'll end up watching that too.

Sure, I have indeed watched the 2019 movie "The Jack in the Box" and the 2022 sequel "The Jack in the Box: Awakening", but weren't overly impressed with neither. So I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations to the 2024 movie "The Jack in the Box Rises". But since it was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to do so as I had the chance.

The storyline in the movie was pretty straight forward, albeit a bit bland and generic actually. Writers Geoff Fowler and Lawrence Fowler didn't really improve on the previous movies, nor added much of anything new to the formula. It felt like they were playing it safe and using all previously used tropes for the sake of familiarity, and that made for a mundane viewing experience.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. But I will say that, despite the fact that the script was rubbish, then the acting performances were fair enough. Nothing outstanding, mind you, but fair enough.

The creature in the movie is nicely made, just as it was in the previous two movies. But it hardly mattered as the script was rubbish. Visually then the movie was okay, but I am not a fan of scenes where people get murdered, but you don't get to see it happening, and the director leaves it up to the imagination of the audience. That is just improper storytelling, especially for a horror movie.

Well, the "Jack in the Box" movies haven't exactly been stellar horror movies, but I have to say that this 2024 addition to the franchise is definitely the weakest in the franchise so far.

My rating of director Lawrence Fowler's 2024 horror movie "The Jack in the Box Rises" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Attending a decrepit boarding school, a group of students discover the remains of a cursed jack in the box in the bowels of the school and are soon forced into a series of deadly scenarios involving the doll looking to secure souls for its freer to grant a wish and must stop the deadly being.

Overall, this was a fine if somewhat problematic ending to the series. The film works best when it does what the other entries in the series accomplished in dealing with the rules involving the doll and it being let loose on the students. That there's still the same general format of the figure being released from the specific toy and looking to kill off six different people to take their souls as a means of gaining power to provide a wish for who freed it is a fine way of bringing this one along into the franchise by keeping the format the same but changing up the location. Putting this one in a boarding school so that the students are the ones who are caught in the middle of its rampage works incredibly well, making the dark hallways and general suspenseful nature of where it takes place get put through some intriguing enough scenes that are done by the figure coming to life and stalking his chosen target. Whether it's the appearance against the headmaster to start everything, the lone student entering the basement where the toy is kept in the middle of the room, or the final confrontation where it spreads its powers into a rather fiery and imposing conclusion, it all comes together well enough throughout here. That the creature's presence continues to use the same haunting gurgling rattle and the eerie nursery rhyme to keep the suspense going is a fun touch, and given how it still looks chilling and imposing, it provides some engaging positives here. There are some issues with this one, and it continues the series of flaws that have been present in the other entries in the franchise. The main issue here is the expectedly sluggish and simply dull pacing that provides this with some immensely interesting elements. This one takes way too long to get the rampage started, as the first half tends to go through a series of exploits involving the students at the school trying to sort out their personal lives rather than deal with the creature on the loose. Their lives and relationships are glossed over to the point of not even being interesting anyway, so it just feels even more draining waiting around for the box to be uncovered and the spree can start, which also highlights the different changes to the storyline about how the creature can be summoned and stopped. This is accomplished rather oddly and just seems to be brought up out of nowhere only to then be ignored to the point of confusion over why it was even brought up in the first place as the idea of going for a mystical route to stop him flies in the face of the other entries that never utilized this factor. The other issue here is the expectedly simple and bloodless kills that don't go all the way regarding how the gore comes off, which doesn't make for a fun time since there's little about this to feature any kind of standout gore or kills. These are what end up bringing this one down overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

The lead character Raven, needs to go back to acting school. She is absolutely terrible. The other actresses and actors are adequate. The story was farfetched even beyond the demonic entity of Jack. While the production values are higher than the average horror, the acting and dialogue really bring it down. The movie is watchable, but barely, and I have seen a lot of trash in the horror genre. The movie could have been done better with way less budget and just have better actors and writers. Even if they just replaced the Raven character with a better actress and had someone who could actually write dialogue, thr movie would be improved tenfold.

As an avid viewer of indie horror, I'm often disheartened (even angry) at the poor entries I find on Tubi, Amazon etc. Not this time. The whole 'Jack in the Box' franchise has a level of production and storytelling that is a cut above the other movies coming out of the UK recently. This one goes even harder than the last.

It does take a little too long in my opinion for the box to be found and then cranked, but when the demon does kick into gear I was gripped and along for the ride. There are some great twists and turns in the plot too that kept me guessing.

I think anyone looking for their latest clown movie fix can do far worse than Jack.