Coming back to this after 2 years, mostly to see if I was just crazy with my initial 8/10. Admittedly there were mind enhancement elements at play then, but that only goes so far. Garbage is garbage, high or not.
Holiday horror movies are an obsession with mine, and I keep Oct with strictly Halloween based flicks, so one comes across the basically endless degree of low budget trash out there. In all those I've only 1 starred two absolute abominations. I start everything and neutral 5/10 and go from there. Admittedly it takes a lot for me to drop to 4 or below, let alone a 1.
In this case, we open with a still interesting several window pan of our Halloween party, still reminding me somewhat of the hospital multi-room scan-shot from "It Follows." It shows a certain creativeness behind the camera that unfortunately seems to drop off from there.
Second, the moment you realize these clearly college+ aged "kids" are actually trying to come across as High Schoolers is a hilarity in itself which I found to greatly enhance the absurdity of their going about such juvenile antics. I doubt this was the intent, but unintentionally or no, this brings an entertainment factor.
Third, with no idea where things are going, the moment things go Eyes Wide Shut can be startling. While obviously this doesn't compare to the depth of depravity you can find in Halloween horror, it's an effective contrast to its "youthful" antics.
I've gone from a 9 to now a 7/10 for this, on curve for low budget Halloween horror. If you aren't hopelessly addicted to holiday horror, and if it isn't around Halloween, even I would say to stay away. Most normies watch 1 Halloween based flick for the month, if even, and there are obviously far better options out there.
Full disclosure, most of these flicks get a 6 on my end, assuming I finished, didn't regret, and found even a modicum of entertainment. Takes a lot to up from the basic pass of a 6 (above neutral 5) to hit 7, and this movie achieved that for me. Obviously I am in the far minority here, but I still find this to exceed most of the plethora of Halloween "horror" you can find on Tubi, or whatever, which are about a dime a million. It isn't Carpenters original Halloween, obviously, which I still hold as the gold standard 10/10.
