When I state that Haunt takes place at a haunted house on Halloween, I mean a haunted attraction that you pay money to visit. I am not referencing a home filled with evil spirits. With that clarification out of the way, Haunt begins as Harper’s (Katie Stevens) sorority sisters Mallory (Schuyler Helford), Angela (Shazi Raja), and Bailey (Lauryn Alisa McClain) convince the introverted student to go to a Halloween party with them. At the party, the group runs into Bailey’s friends Nathan (Will Brittain) and Evan (Andrew Caldwell).
After a scuffle with a drunk jock, everyone leaves the party. Not wanting to end the night early, Evan gets everyone to agree to go to a haunted house a few miles away. While things are spooky and the interactive puzzles are of concern, nothing about the attraction gives away its real purpose. But as the group gets separated, the friends grow weary of the place. It is then they discover that the people who run the haunted house never planned on letting them leave alive.
“…the people who run the haunted house never planned on letting them leave alive.”
Haunt comes from Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, the co-writers of A Quiet Place. They take on directing duties as well, with this film being something like their tenth overall collaboration. Sadly, Haunt isn’t as nuanced or as elegant as that 2018 breakout hit. Not to say it is terrible, but the characters are mainly stereotypes with nothing to subvert or supplant typical expectations. Harper is quiet and introverted, in part because of a trauma in her past. Because of course, an introvert must be so for a reason.
"…a gruesome, creepy watch that will satiate the desires of horror buffs"
