Written and directed by Owen Egerton. Starring Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Barbara Dunkelman, Chris Doubek, Rebecca Wagner, Nick Rutherford, Owen Egerton, Zachary Levi and Tate Donovan.
Plot: horror fans come to a festival on Halloween expecting a celebration, but when the terror becomes all too real, attendees must band together to try and survive the night.
Dax (Kay) is a teen obsessed with horror even though he watched his mother being murdered when he was young. The killer was a masked intruder and troubled patient of his psychologist father, Dr. Vaughn Conway (Donovan). Years later, Dax wants to go to a horror film festival, but his father won’t let him. He defies his father however, and attends the festival with friends, Krill (Batalon), Sam (Gabriel) and Ashley (Dunkelman).
The festival begins with an introduction by the showrunner, Anthony Walsh (Egerton), who claims that because real horror is dead, he wants to make the ultimate horror movie. Then, he introduces Red, a mysterious figure in a mask, and a larger-than-necessary group of people with chainsaws, who begin actually killing the festival attendees. Realizing they can’t get to the front gate, Dax and his friends venture further into the festival, hoping to get to the end alive.
Now, not everyone makes it out alive but the fact that me and DJ actually cared about the people being killed was awesome. The cast was excellent and the characters were likable. We didn’t love every storyline, but the script was rather outstanding. There were so many magnificent horror movie homages present throughout. I especially loved the line, “George Romero, if you’re out there, save us.” We also loved the speech Dax gives about horror being a safe space, an escape full of controlled violence, rubber knives and fake blood.
Some of the kills were exceptional, the effects were exceptional, it followed the rules it laid out and it was very, very funny. There was even a decent Freddy Claws, as most of them worked pretty well together. And we’d watch it again just to see the marvelous zombie vs. clown battle. It was insane and quite scary. In case you haven’t noticed already, we really enjoyed this movie and suggest you watch it, too. *Extra note – Although we watch horror movies all the time, we’d never attend such a festival. We’re wimps when it comes to that sort of thing. LOL.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
View all posts by TaraRomero
BLOOD RED REVIEWS 