My quick rating - 6,4/10. If nothing else, our "hero" Joseph Winter is pretty damn funny. Not to mention the fact he is the writer/director and star playing Shawn Ruddy, an internet celeb facing his fears online. I know this may surprise you but this is actually a really well-made found footage-type flick. I am aware I absolutely loathe these types of flix but when they are done right, it makes it that much better. The movie starts off a straight-up comedy about heading into a haunted house for the night and the obvious jokes and scares are set up only to be interrupted by one-liners. This all works out quite well, even when they bring in the stalker fan, Chrissy (Melanie Stone) who shows up on site. The two stumble around the desolate haunted house until they destroy some symbol and then all hell breaks loose. There are tons of nods to Sam Raimi and the classic Evil Dead here and that is not a comparison I throw around lightly. The top of the spirit board has "Klaatu Verata Nikto" written on top for one example. I am not saying it is on that level but it is a clear mix of that type of horror comedy mixed with the new world of influencers and found footage. To marry the two in a low-budget indie is not a totally new approach but to do so with this much success sure is. The effects are done so well to make the scares look that much better and very creative use of gore throughout to appease all frames of horror fans. For the budget they had, they completely utilized every bit of it and make for a great #shocktober viewing. Definite diamond in the rough from Shudder and hopefully this will be a step in the right direction for their original flix going forward. Currently streaming on Shudder for free with an Amazon subscription and AMC+.
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