Hey gang, Valkor here. Now I’ve sat through my share of horror
– the good, the bad and the ugly; and just when I think I’ve seen
everything, a film comes my way that shows me that I have a ways
to go in terms of what's truly scary. It’s been awhile since I’ve
had the stuffing scared out of me and then “All Hallows’ Eve”
came into my life. Will it be a game changer or will it end up
getting tossed into the TOV DVD trash pile? Well we already know
where this one is headed, right?
At its core, All Hallows’ Eve centers on babysitter Sarah (Katie Maguire) and her young charges Timmy (Cole Mathewson) and Tia (Sydney Freihofer), who are kicking back at home, post trick or treating, watching a horror movie, whilst young Tim sifts through is Halloween booty. Betwixt his candy he finds a VHS cassette that Sarah is against the kids watching. But she finally gives in… well not exactly. She starts watching it first just to be sure it’s safe, but before she can call them in, the two kids decide to watch without waiting for Sarah's consent. The tape contains three shorts, the first of which Sarah watches with the kids involving a young woman who is kidnapped from a bus station by a creepy clown who goes by the name of Art (Mike Gianelli). The woman suddenly finds herself in the midst of a sexual satanic ritual. And after watching that piece, Sarah has had enough and sends the kids off to bed.
Once the kids are away, it’s just Sarah and the tape. Of course she continues to watch it and the remaining two stories, each containing the same creepy clown as he targets, taunts and ultimately kills his victims. The second story involves a young woman who recently moved to the countryside from the big city for some peace and quiet. But she’ll find anything but that as a strange meteor crash lands near her place, bringing along a little something extra. Art the Clown isn't directly involved with this one, but he does "show his face" so to speak. The final story finds a young woman making her way to NY but stopping at a gas station to fill up. She happens upon the gas attendant who is giving the boot to Art who also gives her a good, long look. What could that possibly mean? Anyway, Art leaves but not for long as he returns, killing the gas attendant and now this woman who simply stopped for gas is now making a run for her life.
Inbetween Sarah watching the vids, creepy shit starts happening around the home – Sarah thinks she’s seeing things and the kids think they’re hearing things. Could it be that there’s more to the video tape than meets the eye? And what is the fate of Sarah, Timmy and Tia? You’re gonna have to watch to find out.
Two of the shorts in this film anthology were previous released (according to IMDB) – The 9th Circle (woman waiting in the bus station) and Terrifier (woman on her way to NY). That’s not a bad deal and I’ll admit, I’d love to see more Art the clown. Just not anywhere near my person... especially on Halloween Night.
The Good:
It’s been awhile since I’ve been seriously creeped the fuck out and All Hallows’ Eve has achieved just that because I was seriously creeped the fuck out! Overall the film is unsettling and very disturbing. The last time I watched a film that made me switch on the lights immediately after watching it was “Lake Mungo” – now that was disturbing. But All Hallows’ Eve is scary in its own right and what truly sells it is Michael Gianelli’s “Art the Clown”, with his big, disgusting, toothy grin and his non-vocal laugh. It gives me chills just thinking about it. To top things off there’s plenty of cringeworthy blood and gore – especially the ending… just wow! Plus the film does a fine job stitching together the anthologies with the main narrative, which is something I haven't seen since "Do Not Disturb". Art, I’m sold on you and we need you in another film asap!
The Bad:
N/A
The Ugly:
Too much to mention, but the gas attendant getting his head chopped off ranks high, only because you see it after it’s been cut and its dripping blood.
All Hallows’ Eve is available now and if you’re looking for something truly scary to add to your Halloween rotation, then this film should definitely be included; the film has a great story, plenty of blood and an awesomely, scary antagonist in Art the Clown to keep you awake for many nights with that wicked smile of his. So out of TOV 5 stars, All Hallows’ Eve gets a 4.
