10/31

Now, I've actually watched the 2019 movie "10/31 Part 2" prior to having a chance to watch the 2017 movie "10/31". And while I wasn't overly impressed with part two, I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to this predecessor from directors Brett DeJager, Rocky Gray, Zane Hershberger, John William Holt, Hunter Johnson and Justin M. Seaman. But with it being a horror movie, although an anthology nonetheless, I opted to sit down and watch it, as I had the opportunity to do so.

The first segment is titled "The Old Hag" and it is written and directed by Justin M. Seaman. It was a nicely written story, although a bit cliché and generic. But it was actually entertaining enough, despite this. The acting performances in the segment were good. The effects were good as well, adding to the overall creep factor of the storyline. This was actually the best thing about the entire anthology. Though the ending was rather unnecessarily stupid.

Zane Hershberger wrote and directed the second segment, which is titled "Trespassers". The storyline in this segment as fairly weak, and it was a slow paced narrative, and that just didn't help to improve the overall impression of this second segment. The effects, however, were fairly okay. The music was also quite okay in this segment, as there was a distinct 1980s vibe to it.

"Killing The Dance" is the title of the third segment, and it is written by Jason Turner and directed by John William Holt. The storyline in this segment was not particularly good. I love how quickly the blood coagulated on the first woman being cut with a razor at the skating rink, that was just a pretty poorly done effect. The music in this segment was just unfathomably annoying to listen to, and it went on non-stop.

The fourth segment is "Halloween Blizzard of '91", which was written and directed by Brett DeJager. It was the most pointless of the segments, especially since there wasn't really a thoroughly written script to support it. It looked and felt like something that writer and director Brett DeJager just shot on the fly.

The fifth and last segment is "'The Samhain Slasher" from writer and director Rocky Gray. This segment was okay. I mean, it was a pretty straightforward narrative, although somewhat on the weak side in terms of a thoroughly written storyline.

And the tie-in segment that presented the segments and tied them together was "Malvolia's Halloween Monster Marathon", from writers Rocky Gray and Zane Hershberger, and directed by Hunter Johnson. It wasn't a particularly great concept, but luckily we didn't have to endure much of it, as it was just in the beginning and end of the anthology.

Watchable for what it was, but you're not in for anything grand here. It is not like the writers conjured up a Halloween classic here. And I doubt that I will ever return to watch "31/10" a second time, as it was about as entertaining and enjoyable as the "31/10 Part II" sequel was.

My rating of "31/10" lands on a four out of ten stars.

For every decent actor here they are paired up with someone stiff and bland. The script in these segments could maybe have had some critical notes by their peers. The mask they use are straight outta horror cons. They're not Spirit Halloween bad but I feel like if you've been to a con you've seen these on display at booths. Since every segment was done by different people the color grading is kinda everywhere. This is something I find common with these mixed director anthologies. With all this being said, I've seen far worse anthologies. Overall the sound design is decent and the dialogue sound isn't all over the place. If you're looking for something fun to watch on Halloween, stick to Trick R Treat, as this really gives off 0 Halloween vibes even tho every story is on 10/31.

"10/31" is a portmanteau style horror film, made as a showcase for five independent writer/directors and largely crowdfunded. It's hard to be too harsh on the films, given the budgets, some of which look decent and occasionally have good effects, but generally it's a collection that includes performances that are too amateurish and stories that are confusing. I've detailed more about each episode below.

The Old Hag - Two aspiring filmmakers, Tyler (Nick Edwards) and Kevin (Mitchell Musolino) arrive at Kathy's (Cindy Maples) bed and breakfast to produce a promotional video. Though the hotel specifically doesn't have any guests - Tyler has an interaction with an elderly guest on the third floor. Performances are a little amateurish and the prosthetic for said old hag are a little too clean and over lit to convince it's anything other than prosthetics. Story is a sadly predictable and the only scare is the cheap one right at the end.

Trespassers - After an underwhelming Halloween date Stephanie (Sable Griedel) takes new in town Jeff (Chad Bruns) to a local farm where, legend has it, decades ago the farmer went mad and killed his family after a scarecrow was put up on his land. Performances are a little better in this one and shooting in a cinema helps production value - but the creature at the end looks like a shop bought mask and the story is muddled. Better, but not good.

Killing the Dance - On her last night before leaving home, Ashley (Bailey Ingersoll) takes her brother Mikey (Noah Howland) to work at a roller-skating rink. After dark, the rink switches to a roller disco and secrets are revealed. Then a masked character begins to attack the other patrons with a straight razor. This felt much longer than the previous two entries. There were some nice early moments, including a tracking shot that was more ambitious than anything seen so far, and shooting on the rink is well done. Storyline wise though it's a little obvious, way too long and the budget betrays the effects somewhat.

Halloween Blizzard of '91 - During a snowstorm that seemingly cancels trick or treating, a family is visited by three small characters in old style costumes. After giving them candy, they leave, but not before leaving a sleigh bell on the porch. This was the worst episode of the four. Really amateurish performances, with the exception of the mother Katie (Katie Walgrave), bad choppy cutting and a story that didn't make much sense.

The Samhain Slasher - Peter McNeely (Greg Fallon) is haunted by horrific dreams. His daughter Mary (Jordan Phipps) goes to a Halloween party but both have ignored TV reports about an escaped murderer in the area. Performances and effects were a lot better this time, but the story was confounding mixing supernatural and slasher elements but never making clear what was what.

Provided you accept this for what it is, it's not the worst collection you'll ever see - but go in expecting anything more and you'll be sorely disappointed.

10/31 (2017) is currently available for free on Tubi and features a collection of six short horror stories. Like many anthologies, there are inconsistencies in the acting, story quality, and special effects across the segments, but a few of the stories are genuinely entertaining.

Each segment has a different director, including Brett DeJager (Bonejangles), Rocky Gray (making his directorial debut), Zane Hershberger (Force to Fear), John William Holt (Volumes of Blood), Hunter Johnson (60 Seconds to Die 1 & 2), and Justin Seaman (The Barn).

This isn't a top-tier horror anthology, but if you're in the mood for something new with some unique twists, it's worth a watch. Overall, it's an average horror collection. I'd recommend watching it once and would rate it 5.5/10.

There really isnt a lot to recommend in this movie.

There are 5 stories, none of which are compelling, or even well written. In fact, the only reason I gave it a 3 was because it was at least competently shot and edited.

These stories do not have a resolution. It's just some evil monster or person killing a victim or two with no motivation or back story. There isn't any tension and I didn't have sympathy for any of the victims. In fact, by the 3rd story, I was actually cheering for the characters to be killed, but not even this was very satisfying.

The only reason Im writing the review is to try to spare horror fans the regret I felt.

I could not wait for it to end.