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Rating: ★★★
Plot: As Angela Long, a former dancer, apparently descends into madness, her family tries to cope the best they can. After an infamous dinner, their lives collectively spiral to new levels of chaos, including, but not limited to, a sadomasochistic power dynamic, a bloody endeavor where a dinosaur may or may not be present. All of the skeletons will come out at a Halloween night feast.
Film: A Halloween Feast
Director: Guile Branco
Writer: Guile Branco and Arthur McClen
Starring: Lynn Lowry, Julia Coulter, Guile Branco, Lou D'Amato, Asia Lynn Pitts, Pancho Moler, Richard Long, Nika Khitrova and Jackson Leighton
Disclaimer: Screener link sent in return for an honest review
A Halloween Feast begins with one of the most compelling opening scenes - with pet killings, finger chopping, and a whole lot of blood, there's much to feel excited about in the first fifteen minutes of the film. The story follows a dysfunctional family and takes an in-depth look into each of their lives; in particular their mentally ill mother who enjoys blending goldfish and burning ants in her free time. It's safe to say, if you're easily offended, this is definitely not the film for you.
The film is set B.H (before Halloween) and the ominous countdown to Halloween night throughout leaves you wondering just how much more depraved this film could become. While it's quite clear that the film has a low budget, the effects and graphic nature of some scenes is utterly brilliant and feels reminiscent of classic 80's horror at times.
With dialogue such as, "I'm sorry I cut your finger off" with the reply being, "it's okay, I have nine others", it does have many hysterical moments. As horror comedies go, this is one of the most outrageous I've seen and while some of the time it does work, there are others where it feels flat and somewhat uncomfortable. However, the viewer has to commend Guile Branco for making so many bold choices in his directorial debut.
It's very similar in shooting style and vibe to The Loved Ones (2009), which is one of my all-time favourite horrors. However, the problem with A Halloween Feast is that it doesn't entirely feel cohesive. At times, it feels like a mismatch of films that only truly come together during the final scene. It feels as though every horror trope has been used throughout the 100 minute runtime - from murder, to cannibalism, to witchcraft, to adultery, to animal killings. This makes for many surprises which you never really get any recovery time from before you're moving on to the next scene of utter madness.
While the majority of the cast are great, Lynn Lowry's portrayal of the murderous mother is quite simply incredible. In Angela, she has created one of the most bonkers, yet memorable horror characters of all time. There are a few scenes in the redeeming feast sequence finale which are nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. The twists? Iconic. The tension? Unbeatable. The amount of blood? Absolutely outrageous.
To enjoy A Halloween Feast, you need a dark sense of humour and the ability to go into a film and take absolutely nothing seriously. While the pacing is somewhat slow in the middle, the beginning and end make for a wickedly funny film that's difficult not to enjoy.
A Halloween Feast comes to digital and VOD platforms on September 10th.
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