Haunt-Movie Review
In the modern era of streaming, it can be hard to tell what you might get when you pick a movie, particularly one you haven’t seen around before. I was looking at Haunt and I found myself saying “What is the story- content slop, underperforming in theaters or simply just B list? What’s going on here?” And I was pleasantly surprised. Haunt is a genuinely scary film that tries hard and largely delivers. It may not reinvent the wheel, but it adds some creative garnishes that make the whole experience memorable. I won’t forget this movie. Some of these scares were honestly disgusting. The writers must be crazy people.
So, if you were thinking ghost movie- well actually it’s about a haunted house. The setup is somewhat predictable- a group of teens, after a party or clubbing (it’s not overly clear), decide to ride around and look for “an extreme haunted house.” Eventually they find a really sketchy haunted house that kind of just pops up suspiciously. They’re parked on the side of the road and this “Haunted House” just lights up. And since that’s super extreme, they decide to go. That’s just classic horror movie plotting.
Our main character is Harper, a college girl with issues from her past. Also with her are friends, Bailey, Angela and Mallory, as well as two guys they met at the party, Nathan and Evan. They’re college kids, out looking for fun, drugs and a little bit of that snu-snu. They go to this weird creepy haunted house, which is in a structure that seems to be some combo of a factory and a mansion. They have to sign a waiver and give up their phones. And then they’re off.
I won’t spoil the movie for you, but let’s just say- it gets really violent, creepy and tense very fast. This movie isn’t overly gory but there is a fixation on like closeup violence you see and it can be a little jarring. Faces are ripped off with hammers (the other end of the hammer- you’re welcome), skin is ripped off by some sort of malicious glue, eyes are gouged, heads are crushed, impaled and shot. It’s not a movie for people with a weak stomach.
As you can imagine, the people running this haunted house are not great guys but they are in fact compelling villains. They each have their own little trademarks and personalities and the overall twist surrounding the group is really unique in my opinion. There may not be one particular standout, it’s a bunch of costumed people, not much dialogue with them, but they each contribute some memorable moments and this kind of anonymous villainy ups the tension. You never know who’s going to show up and torture or main our protagonists next.
Generally this movie flows pretty well. The pacing is strong and while there’s always action or the threat of it, there’s also plenty of time set aside to set and stew in this creepy place and it’s desolate ambience. The setting has presence and it realistically amplifies our characters a little bit. This isn’t necessarily a character showcase, but I think the characters were well written and had realistic actions and motivations for the most part. They aren’t as dumb as the protagonists in many horror films and they’re likable enough. The film gives you glimmers of archetypes- the comic relief goofball, asshole jock who’s actually a nice guy, sassy mean girl, etc- but they don’t just dilute the characters down to those frameworks. There is some real meat to these characters, at least enough so that they don’t bring down the movie.
The one complaint I do have is the inclusion of a kind of strange child abuse subplot which is entirely told through weird flashbacks placed in the middle of an action sequence. I get why you might want to include that, but it doesn’t add what they think it added and kind of distracts from what is actually going on. You don’t really need a trauma sub plot here- they’re in a crazy haunted house and have seen their friend(s) being killed or maimed at this point. It just- no you don’t need that. But it’s not overbearing and it doesn’t really hurt the film much, it’s just out of place a tad.
But overall, the shortcomings of this film are few and far between. It very much “is what is” but it’s very good at doing what it’s doing. This is a very strong script, one that balances action, tension and character moments with a sleight of hand that really is the key to this film’s quality. The action is good because it’s set up, the tension rewarded and the characters given the right amount of depth for us to care but not so much the film shies away from it’s genre defined goals.
You know how it goes- I don’t do spoilers and if I kept going we’d be approaching that territory. What I can say is this- for the most part, if you’re looking for a good horror film, this is one. You won’t be disappointed and if you’re anything like me, you might even be impressed. Because in a way, the control and touch it takes to make this film work is impressive. Not every director or writer could do this and Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the writer/directors) nail the landing where others may not. Give it a watch next Halloween or just the next time you want a little uncomfortable excitement.
