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Film: All Hallows’ Eve
Year: 2013
Director: Damien Leone
Writer: Damien Leone
Starring: Katie Maguire, Mike Giannelli and Catherine A. Callahan
Review:
This film begins in the living room of a house. Katie Maguire is babysitting on Halloween for a friend. The two kids are siblings with the older girl played by Sydney Freihofer and the boy by Cole Mathewson. They are watching the original Night of the Living Dead while Mathewson is counting his candy and Freihofer is texting. Maguire turns off the television and tells the kids they are going to carve a pumpkin and then they are going to go bed. Mathewson dumps his candy and discovers a VHS video tape. He wants to watch it, but Maguire doesn’t think that’s a good idea since it could be something inappropriate. They finally convince her to let them.
The video actually holds a couple different horror tales on it. The tape begins with creepy images of a rundown hospital. There is a creepy clown that will recur throughout this film, he is played by Mike Giannelli. There is a tapping that is done by a scythe-like blade and there’s a monster with a huge nose. It shifts to the first tale.
This one begins with a young woman waiting for a train; she is played by Kayla Lian. A couple asks when the train is going to be leaving and she says when she thinks. There is an announcement saying the train is delayed. She looks forward and there is Giannelli. He pulls out a horn and begins honking it. Lian yells at him to stop. He sits next to her and gives her a flower. There is a cockroach in it and she drops it. She tries to flee, but Giannelli sticks her with a needle and she passes out.
She wakes up with a chain around her neck. She screams and other girls in similar positions tell her to stop. Lian tells them they must escape and they tell her they’ve tried, but there’s no way out. Lian also learns that when the chain is pulled, they are taken away screaming. One of the other girls is taken and Lian gets the other to come with her. They follow it to find a giant monster of a man with a butcher knife. The second girl is attacked and Lian tries to free herself. The monster ends up doing that with its knife, but she runs into another man.
She then wakes up, tied down. There is a bunch of hooded figures that are watching over her. There is a pregnant woman who is standing up. What will they do to both of these women? Will either survive?
After watching that Maguire tells the kids they need to go to bed and this isn’t appropriate. They argue, but do as they are told. Mathewson goes to bed without an issue, but Freihofer is scared. She ends up asking Mathewson if she can sleep in bed with him and he reluctantly allows it.
Maguire talks to a friend for a bit, getting spooked by some kids outside and waits for the parents to return. She goes back to watch the next tale on the tape.
This one is about a woman moving out of the city with her boyfriend, she is played by Catherine A. Callahan. She loves the quiet and talks on phone with someone about how she already loves the new house. There then is a bright light outside and a something glowing lands. The power then goes out and nothing seems to work. Her car won’t even start. She begins to panic when her boyfriend calls and tells her to relax. When she tells him that she has been hearing noises, he tells her to call the police. The phone cuts out.
There ends up being aliens that are in her house and she tries to get away from them. Will she be able to or will they get her before she can?
Maguire is spooked even more after that one and she looks over to the stairs. She sees movement and thinks the children are still up. She goes upstairs to check on them and Mathewson tells them they are trying to sleep, but she won’t leave them be. When asked by Maguire, he tells her that she keeps rattling the door knob.
Maguire tells herself that she can’t tell the kids not to be scared, when she is being that way. She decides to watch the final story.
This one is a young woman driving back to New York; she is played by Marie Maser. She sees a sign for last chance for gasoline and she is on empty. She stops off, but can’t find anyone. The attendant shows up, played by Michael Chmiel. He is chasing off Giannelli for defiling the bathroom. Chmiel fills up Maser’s gas and gives her directions. They hear a sound and he goes inside.
Maser follows and finds that Giannelli has killed him. She flees, but no matter what she does, Giannelli keeps showing up. Will she be able to get away or will Giannelli finally get his grasp on the young woman?
That one really scares Maguire and she is even more scared when there is another video where Giannelli seems to see her. He tries to get out of the television. Will he get out or will Maguire stop him? Can she save herself and the children?
I have to say that I am big fan of anthology horror movies, if they are done right. I thought the concept of the overall story was a little clinched, but not horrible. I thought the first story was really weird, but somewhat creepy. The final story was the best though by far. It was the scariest of the bunch. Giannelli was fantastic as the clown that is in every story too. He is scary and his make-up helps. Plus he never has any sounds outside of his horn. His laugh is muted and his body language adds to it as well.
The biggest problem with this film was bad acting. There is bad acting in each of the stories as well as the overall one that ties them together. The second story was weak and the first one doesn’t have much in it outside of some creepy situations. Since this is on a VHS tape, I think the tape would look grainier. You can see that the film was made on a small budget, but they could have made the stories they are watching more realistic looking. I think it would have added to the effect.
With that said, this one isn’t horrible, it is just not good. I would only recommend this one if you are big fan of horror movies. As I have said, there is bad acting overall and some of the stories are somewhat weak. Giannelli is scary, the final story is creepy and the ending to this one is good. Outside of the fact that it looks cheap, but what leads up to it was good.
My Rating: 5 out of 10