This was a film that was shown at FrightFest over in the United Kingdom. I was asked by Shirly from Entertainment Squad if I was interested in the screener for review. The Horror Collective picked this film up and I tend to enjoy most works they distribute. The title was interesting to me. Knowing that this was a 2025 horror film as well.
Synopsis: to escape a life of oppressed obscurity, a battered former wunderkind weaponizes her obsession with clowning, serial killers and classic movie monsters into a night of shocking infamy.
Now we start this with seeing a hostage situation. There is a man held at gunpoint while he's walking away from a building. Detective Marshall (Nicole Hall) is demanding that her partner, Barnes (Matt Leisy) be released.
It then jumps back to 2004. Jennifer, played by the director's daughter Violet Rea, is our lead. Her demanding mother, played by Deborah Madick, expects a lot from the artistic and intelligent Jennifer. Something of note is that we see her obsession with a park clown, which causes trouble. She also shows an early interest in serial killers and horror movies.
We then jump 20 years back to the present. Jennifer is now played by Jennifer Seward. She is working a dead-end job that she hates to try to make ends meet. It isn't easy as we see her bank account is in the negative. The thing she does to make herself happy is dress up like a clown to bring joy to the children at the park. Her husband is a disbarred lawyer, played by Dan Daly. Now he just sits around the house, watching old Three Stooges episodes and eats. Jennifer has befriended Ryan (Tim Shelburne) at work.
Jennifer finally had enough. Her husband treats her poorly, as does her mother. She has a room dedicated to serial killers. She has a flier for a haunted house that pays homage to classic monsters. She comes up with a plan for this Halloween that will make her go down in infamy, which in her eyes equals immortality.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. This interesting film is a character study of Jennifer, showing how the world has worn her down. As a former aspiring full-time writer, I relate to her soulless job and settling despite her potential to pursue her passion as a clown. She seems to have married her husband for support, but his own troubles have led to her current rampage through a culmination of her setbacks.
Now that I've set her up, let me delve more into the character. Seward, who also appeared in the slasher film The Stylist, portrays a character clinging to sanity before breaking. There is a correlation between the two films. Writer Eric Winkler's horror fandom is also clear, with Ryan and Jennifer's film discussion foreshadowing later events with the movies she chooses as her favorites. That care is something I appreciate. Seward also does an excellent job portraying this character who is barely clinging to sanity before snapping.
Where I want to go next would be the rest of the premise. This is a Halloween film, reminiscent of Satan's Little Helper, cleverly allows Jennifer to evade consequences. The subtle introduction of the two detectives from the start prepares us for the ensuing chaos. The movie effectively portrays Jennifer's endurance of abuse before her breakdown. I enjoyed the inclusion of public domain horror films like House on Haunted Hill and the actors portraying classic movie monsters, with their iconic moments referenced. These are nods to horror fans for sure.
I think then I'll go over to discuss the filmmaking aspects. Despite a low budget, the film strategically hides its limitations with solid cinematography and practical effects. The soundtrack and design are fitting. The only issue, typical of slasher films, is the repetitive nature before the kills start, which slightly hurts the pacing. Still, this is made well enough.
Something I haven't brought up yet is that I judge slashers on having good kills or characters. I've already said that the kills are solid. Seward excels in her role, using subtle facial expressions and body language to convey emotion, particularly when she snaps. Hall and Leisy are effective as the detectives, while Madick portrays the overbearing mother well. Rea deserves credit as the child Jennifer. Shelburne, Daly, and the rest of the cast complete the ensemble. Special recognition goes to the haunt team for mimicking iconic monster moments.
In conclusion, this offers a compelling character study of Jennifer, a woman pushed to her limits who finds a morbid path to notoriety. Despite a low budget, the film excels with strong performances, particularly from Seward, and clever homages to classic horror. While the pacing might drag slightly before the killings commence, it's a well-crafted and engaging horror film that will resonate with fans of the genre and character-driven narratives.
My Rating: 7 out of 10.
