HAUNT (2019)

 

(Directors/screenwriters: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods)

Storyline

Friends experiencing an “extreme” haunted house that preys on their starkest fears discover that the terror tour is more real than they thought.

 

Review

This Eli Roth-produced movie, said by its creators to be influenced by Tobe Hooper’s THE FUNHOUSE (1981), is a fun, clever, and often scary flick, one that mostly dodges the pitfalls of many horror works. The kids touring the Halloween “extreme” terror house, with its inventive death traps, are smart, semi-likeable and brave for the most part (except for a few Plot Convenient Stupid Moments where they flee rather than finish off their easily killed tormentors). These death traps are effective, intriguing set pieces, worthwhile as the masked killer who stalk them (Clown, Devil, Ghost, Vampire and Witch), whose motivations are mysterious─it does not matter why they’re tormenting and brutally murdering these young people, it’s enough to know (for this viewer, at least) that they’re doing it. It lends an inscrutable, force-of-evil feel to their work, a vibe shared by HALLOWEEN’s (1978) Michael Myers.

HAUNT is impressive for how it trusts their viewers like to be smart. Because of this, it jumps around between characters in different parts of the seasonal horror abode, which may be a little confusing for those not giving HAUNT their entire attention. Its slam-bang, satisfying finish makes such a jump, eschewing a spell-it-out ending, which may put off some viewers who prefer familiar, filmic finishes. Rob Zombie fans may appreciate Lissie’s cover of “Dragula” over the credits crawl.

HAUNT is a great, fresh entry in the horror genre. Worth your time, this─I’m not surprised, considering that filmmakers Beck and Woods are two-thirds of writing team that created A QUIET PLACE (2018; director/co-screenwriter: John Krasinski).