Clowns Of Halloween

But, don’t ask me to name any of the other characters from this opening tale. While the beginning attempts some characterizations, at only 20-minutes, there is not a lot there. But this is a minor complaint, given the effective direction and fun baddie for this segment.

Doll From Hell is the most boring, and worst overall, of the three chapters. Mike Crawford is good as Mike and his interactions with Julia are believable. However, the doll’s kills are almost entirely offscreen. This means a sense of danger is never able to materialize. Without that, dread over the fate of the characters never takes hold. And so, the second segment simply comes across as dull.

But there is a palliative that makes the last minute of the short really engaging. It can often feel like horror movies have twists at the end just to do so; story coherence and plot holes be damned. But Doll From Hell has one of the most exciting and interesting twists I’ve seen in a long time. It works, but it is the only authentic engagement the viewer will get from the entire ordeal.

“… goes to unexpected territory and ends shockingly…”

Deadly Premonition takes its time to establish Breana. Her love of Halloween is evident as she watches a horror movie on the couch, awaiting costumed tykes to ring her doorbell. Breana Mitchell is excellent and wins the audience over in no time. Her likability ensures that the audience is on the edge of their seat, hoping she escapes with her life.

This third horror story has a lot of guts. It goes to unexpected territory and ends shockingly and surprisingly. The movie’s broad daylight shots do hurt the atmosphere in the first few minutes. But once the ex breaks in, the editing makes for a few unnerving scenes.

While each segment has good and bad things to them, Dustin Ferguson manages to overcome his budgetary constraints more often than not. This makes Clowns Of Halloween a fun little anthology that gets the audience into the Halloween mood. And honestly, isn’t that enough?