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Film: Night of the Reaper
Year: 2025
Director: Brandon Christensen
Writers: Brandon Christensen and Ryan Christensen
Starring: Jessica Clement, Ryan Robbins and Summer H. Howell
Review:
This was a film that went on my list of ones to check out for 2025. When it hit, there were things in the theater, so it went on the backburner. Now that I’m able to do a bit of catch up when compiling my end of year list, I didn’t want to skip this one. My buddy Tony pointed out that the director, Brandon Christensen, had a movie hit at the Nightmares Film Festival this year, Bodycam. That intrigued me even more.
Synopsis: college student Deena (Jessica Clement) visits home and is roped into babysitting. The local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence and is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal a serial killer.
Babysitter Emily Golding (Summer H. Howell) is watching Marina (Isla Spencer) and Mark (Huxley Fisher). Mark, afraid of a "Skinwalker" monster in his closet, is soothed when Emily convinces Marina to stay with him. Emily goes downstairs to sneak a smoke, a drink, and to dance until the garage door opens. When she checks, no one is there. She blames the strange movements on the children, unaware of a more terrifying presence.
We then shift into the future a bit. This is still taking place back in the 1980s. Deena is back in town like the synopsis said. Things are off with her family and it feels like she is avoiding going home. She does pick up medicine for her father’s heart. She is then scared by Chad (Ben Cockell) when walking by a van. He’s scolded by his friend, Willis Hanover (Bryn Samuel). Deena then goes to visit her friend, Haddie (Savannah Miller).
This then goes over to meeting the sheriff, Rodney Arnold (Ryan Robbins). What we’ll learn is that fairly recently, his wife died in a car accident. He has a son, Max (Max Christensen), who Hadley is supposed to watch tonight. Rodney gets an odd item delivered to his house. It is a garage door opener. He’s riding with a deputy, Butch Cassidy (Matty Finochio) and they learn it goes to the house from the cold open. This isn’t the last package that gets found either.
The night then takes a turn when Hadley calls Deena, asking if she can watch Max. She has a stomach bug and is afraid that if Rodney finds someone else, she’ll lose the job going forward. Deena isn’t thrilled, but agrees to help her friend. Max and her do know each other. It also isn’t a big deal to Rodney. The night goes smooth until Deena sees a figure outside. The more evidence Rodney finds, the more unhinged he gets, especially when it points out that his wife’s death might not have been an accident. Not everything is as it seems.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. The film's setting in the 1980s risks fatigue, though it's handled well here. Standard ad placement is included, along with a focus on corded phones. The VHS filter is an interesting stylistic choice. I was a fan, but it does cause a confusing element since the killer filmed their crimes. I paused because a camera's presence didn't logically follow the established setting, making me realize it is just the filter in those spots. Otherwise, the film successfully captures the period.
Now that I have that set up, I thought the cold open does well in setting the stage. It is that classic babysitter with the children motif. This is the first real crime that rocks the city. It is through investigation of the clues by Sheriff Arnold that there is more connected here. That thread feels underdeveloped. I understand why to an extent. I also might have missed something there as well.
Let’s then look at our lead character, Deena. She is interesting as a character who got out of her small town. There are multiple characters who make references to it. Haddie is jealous. She doesn’t necessarily seem to have ambition though. Chad is shocked. She might have had a history with Willis. The only thing I find odd here is that all these supporting characters seem like they’re still in high school. It is plausible, but also just a bit odd. Regardless, I like how they establish Deena as being good enough to get out. Clement does well in bringing her character to life.
The more interesting character for most of this though is Sheriff Rodney Arnold. He seems like a good guy. I love that we get that baseline. These packages he’s getting make him angrier as more evidence comes forward. He goes into a rage with one reveal and from there he’s on a rampage. He’s convinced that Chad and in turn, Willis are involved. Part of that being Chad always has a video camera on him. Robbins does a great job in his portrayal. I felt bad for his character, but flying off the handle like he is makes him reckless.
Where I’ll then shift is that this story and how it unfolds isn’t necessarily what I expected. I figured that this was going to be a slasher film. There are elements of that. It starts though with a variation on the babysitter urban legend. That shifts then into home invasion. There is more of an overarching mystery as Sheriff Arnold tries to solve the case while Deena is stalked. We then get a shift that I won’t delve into farther to avoid spoilers.
Before I shift from the story, I did want to bring up just themes that weren’t explicitly covered already. Revenge was brought up through Rodney. You will also see this with Deena later, which was good. Both are motivated through grief and trauma. There’s an interesting byproduct there with Sheriff Arnold and his treatment of the two young men he believes are involved. I’ll then bring up that this also has subversion of genre troupes, which I enjoyed. Nostalgia is a major factor here as well.
Let’s then go over to discuss the rest of the acting performances. Clement and Robbins effectively carry the film as distinct characters with opposing approaches to the night's events, which I appreciated. Howell, Fisher, and Spencer perform well in the cold open. Keegan Connor Tracy is an interesting recurring presence. Finochio, Cockell, Samuel, and Miller all work in their roles. Little Max Christensen delivered what was needed, and special credit goes to David Feehan for being inside the Reaper costume.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I’ll bring up that I don’t love the VHS filter, but it also doesn’t ruin things. It is a good touch though right after the cold open. I do think that the cinematography and framing were solid. The limited effects that we get were good. This is less of a slasher and more of a murder mystery, so that makes sense. Other than that, I do love the musical selections. It is of the era which helps bring that to life along with the product placements, technology and outfits used. Capturing the era isn’t as good as others that do it, but it works.
In conclusion, this is a surprisingly effective film that subverts expectations by shifting from a traditional slasher setup to a compelling murder mystery anchored by strong performances from Clement and Robbins. While the stylistic choice of the VHS filter may be debatable, the movie successfully uses its 1980s setting to enhance themes of grief, trauma, and revenge. Christensen crafts a taut narrative with satisfying twists, making this more than just another nostalgic horror entry and a worthwhile watch for those who appreciate genre blending and character-driven suspense.
My Rating: 7 out of 10