Hauntology

Really liked the movie, enjoyed watching it, and would for sure watch it several times. Interesting how all the stories combine into one cohesive story. A lot of details, recommend to watch the movie several times to be able to see all the Easter eggs. Representative of a lot of today's social issues, which sometimes are missed or not represented in some movies. Don't miss watching this movie that portraits a lot of Ohio's scenery and talent. The director and casting group did a great job. It was great seeing an independent film, hope to see more in the future. Highly recommended, don't miss watching it.

When I stumbled upon the 2024 movie "Hauntology" by random chance here in 2025, I figured it was a horror anthology, given the title of the movie. Normally I am not keen on horror anthologies, as they tend to be a questionable affair in general. But given my life-long love and fascination with the horror genre, of course I had to check out what writer and director Parker Brennon had to offer.

And yes, "Hauntology" is indeed a horror anthology.

Well, as a horror anthology, let's break down the individual segments.

The first segment is titled "Witchcraft Becomes Her" was an adequate tale in the sense that it had an interesting story, but it was hardly a scary story. In fact, this was actually the best of all the boring segments that made up "Hauntology".

Segment number two is titled "The Day Mabel Came out of the Grave". A nice and interesting title, if nothing else. But again, there was nothing scary about this tale either.

Moving on to the third segment, which is titled "Paint & Black Lace". I never understood the strangulation by a plastic bag thing, as you just simply use two fingers to tear a hole at your mouth, voila, and you can breathe. And once again, another segment that proved not to be scary.

And the fourth segment is titled "The Old Dark Cashel House", oh and guess what, not scary either.

The narrative that tied the four different segments was actually better than most of the segments.

The only performers on the cast list that I was familiar with was Naomi Grossman and Nancy Kyes. The acting performances throughout the segments were fair, despite of them having very meager material to work with.

"Hauntology" was a brutally dull anthology. Notice how I left out the 'horror' part there? Yeah, there was nothing horror about this dumpster fire of a movie.

My rating of writer and director Parker Brennon dumpster fire of a "horror" anthology lands on a generous two out of ten stars, not because there is any entertainment to be had in the segments, but because of the production value of the ordeal and the acting performances.

I like anthologies...

I like the horror genre...

I don't expect too much from a movie, just entertain me. I don't mind if it's a little cringe, or campy, seeing the string or bad acting here or there can be fine.

This movie has the feel of a "really talented" highschool production team.

Terrible characters Terrible writing Terrible acting

The only thing this movie did incredibly well, was being predictable in every way.

There is not a single thing redeemable about this movie, it feels like a "b-side" from a low cost production TV show, like goosebumps or are you afraid of the dark.

Sorry.

I'm taking the time to write a review for this terrible movie because I feel like I need to warn others. I honestly don't understand how some viewers gave it a high score. The acting is awful at best-wooden, forced, and completely unconvincing. The story, while somewhat acceptable in the first 20 minutes, quickly falls apart due to lazy writing and a complete lack of originality. The plot unravels into a predictable mess, filled with clichés and nonsensical decisions that make it hard to stay engaged.

The dialogue is unnatural, making it even harder to take the characters seriously. There's no real depth or development, and by the halfway point, I found myself struggling to care about anything happening on screen. The pacing is all over the place, dragging in some scenes while rushing through others, making the entire experience feel disjointed.

If you value your time, I strongly recommend skipping this film. You'd be better off reclaiming those 90 minutes to watch paint dry-it would be far more entertaining and significantly less frustrating than sitting through this disaster. Save yourself the disappointment!

Hauntology is somewhat difficult to categorize. More spooky than terrifying, this anthology manages to wrap its unique narrative into consistent themes and tones. Writer-Director Parker Brennon directs all segments, weaving together a film that pays homage to several sub-genres, making Hauntology a tapestry of horror, supernatural scifi, giallo slasher, monster movie, and psychological tension across it's segments. The thread binding Hauntology's narrative together is the isolation, fear, and "otherness" experienced in queer, BIPOC, and feminine perspectives, subtly explored by Brennon and an ensemble cast that is particularly impressive for a small independent film. Those haunting elements of the film are further invoked by an intentional pace and atmospheric photography, perfectly matched by a score that manages to somehow sound both foreboding and eerily cheerful.

Don't come expecting copious jump scares or buckets of blood (although there are some of booth). Hauntology is entirely more "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" or "Carnival of Souls", than it is "Terrifier" or "Nightmare on Elm Street". What does come in abundance are easter eggs and tribute nods worthy of rewatches and Reddit boards.