‘Spirit Halloween: The Movie’ Review – Generic But Engaging Enough For Budding Horror Fans

Directed By: David Poag

Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Christopher Lloyd, Marla Gibbs

Plot Summary: When a Halloween store opens in a deserted strip-mall, three friends, thinking they’ve outgrown trick or treating, decide to spend the night locked inside. But their night of spook-filled fun soon turns to outlandish survival.

We’ve had movies based on board games, memes and even commercials. So, when it was announced that there would be a feature film about a chain of Halloween stores, nobody seemed to bat an eye. Sure, why not? Personally, I feel the idea could be an interesting one, and as cynical as this is, I wanted to go in with open mind and heart.

When it was confirmed that Christopher Lloyd would star as the main baddie, I was pretty excited. After all, for my generation, Lloyd was beloved as a villain in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? I am still haunted by the dreaded Dip, and if you don’t know what that means, ask an older person, we all carry the same trauma. He also played the creepy and lovable Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values. So, it’s nice to think that for a new generation, the now 83-year-old character actor could be their boogeyman as well. Even still, I have to say my expectations were pretty low. Maybe that’s why I actually thought it was a decent film. This might seem like a compliment of the back handed variety. However, I think given this is basically a big ad for Spirit Halloween stores, decent is probably the best outcome one could hope for.

Right out of the gate, we get our main heroes biking around their neighborhood like they just landed on a Spielberg set. It certainly sets the tone of what’s to come, which is a kiddie version of Stranger Things mixed with a very safe version of Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse. To director David Poag’s credit, Spirit Halloween: The Movie never feels like he phones it in. Given budget limitations, he manages to craft something spooky and magical aimed at budding consumers, I mean film fans. However, there really is no getting around how stock and generic the film is, despite having some obvious talent behind it. The set-up is not very clever, the tension in the family is trope-y, and things are painfully predictable.

Spirit Halloween does take a stab at crafting a rich lore around its paper-thin premise. However, as you might have guessed, it feels woefully underdeveloped and very by-the-numbers. All of these are issues, but I do like how the movie seems to be in on its own joke. Therefore, it leans into its own absurdity; the end result is a dark-ride of a film. Tonally, the movie does try to inject some weighty emotional threads mixed with the lighter kiddie horror fare. This could be quite tricky to pull off, however, Spirit seems to get the balance right. The emotional core is nothing you haven’t seen a thousand times before, but I at least appreciate the attempt. I think that where Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark bogs itself down as a ‘60s period film with a vapid self-serious and preachy message, Spirit Halloween thrives in not going down that route. The latter knows it’s not high art, it just wants to give you a few chills and remind everyone to buy spooky shit. End of story.

The acting here is, shall we say, uneven at best. Christopher Lloyd is always a delight, and the veteran actor makes the most out of a small role. Child actor Donovan Colan is tasked with the bulk of the emotional centerpiece and, I must say he does a fine job here. The other kids vary in performances but nothing bad enough to be distracting.

Maybe it’s because I went in with extremely low expectations, but this one was solid enough. Yeah, its shallow, predictable and plays things very safe, not to mention that it’s riding the wave of a meme, which always has the shortest of shelf lives. However, I can honestly say I felt like director David Poag seems like he did his best given the limitations. Spirit Halloween: The Movie is no gem in the horror genre, but it is the kind of movie you put on whilst you hang scary decorations to get you in the mood. I never got a bitter, cynical aftertaste even given that this is basically a big long ad for the seasonal store chain. Wisely, it plays up its campy aspects to counter the sappier emotional thematic elements. It’s really generic, but I think it’s engaging enough, especially as a starter film for budding horror fans.

Spirit Halloween: The Movie is currently playing in select theaters, and it will be available on VOD on October 11, 2022 courtesy of Strike Back Studios. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2b1w-4RKpM]