Featuring Sarah Elizabeth, Janet Jurado, and Adam Hinkle
Written and Directed by Jake Jarvi
Epic Pictures Group/DREAD
The fairground haunted house has long been an irresistible setting for horror filmmakers. Genre legend Tobe Hooper explored it between The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist with 1981’s The Funhouse. Albert Band, father of the famed low-budget filmmaker Charles Band, took his turn six years later with Ghoulies II. And in 2015, Hell House LLC stirred up a buzz by infusing the concept with dark, satanic undertones.
The appeal is obvious; it’s a perfect backdrop to throw characters into a macabre spectacle filled with a maniac’s array of tools, all without worrying about exposition or believability. The characters—and audience—march in willingly, like neon wristband-wearing lambs to a gruesome fate. It might not have been what Neil Postman envisioned when he wrote Amusing Ourselves to Death, but the title certainly fits.
Writer-director Jake Jarvi dives into this niche subgenre with HAUNT SEASON, a darkly entertaining and sharp twist on the classic haunted house premise. The story unfolds over the final two days of haunt season, turning into a blood-soaked nightmare for a group of theater enthusiasts who work as killers, monsters, and victims—unaware until it’s too late that a real murderer is among them, and that some of the deaths stem from something far more menacing than amateur acting techniques.
The behind-the-scenes atmosphere of the haunt has a distinctly Empire Records/Can’t Hardly Wait vibe, reminiscent of ’90s indie comedies. It follows a group of young, slightly lost twenty-somethings, juggling sarcastic humor, romantic tensions, and lingering post-adolescent struggles as they try to figure out what comes next after the temporary thrill of haunt season fades.
The entire cast excels at capturing this vibe, particularly lead Sarah Elizabeth as Matilda, a relaxed, last-minute replacement actress who provides the audience with a unique perspective on the unfolding chaos, both personal and professional.
Fortunately, HAUNT SEASON never loses its emotional core—both metaphorically and, in at least one scene, literally—as we witness a cheerful actor’s heart being cleaved from his body with an axe. This means the action kicks off within the first three minutes. While there’s some interesting backstory, the emphasis ultimately shifts to imaginative, over-the-top kills rather than exposition. I appreciate “elevated horror” as much as anyone, but the “short fuses, big blood-splattered bangs” approach here offers a refreshing change in today’s horror landscape.
In this regard, HAUNT SEASON effectively mirrors its real-life setting just like its most successful predecessors: nobody wants to visit a haunted house where the first deranged clown, escaped mental patient, chainsaw, or prosthetic wound doesn’t appear until 45 minutes into the tour. HAUNT SEASON dives straight into the action, providing thrills and brief moments of comic relief throughout.
Seriously, take my money.
HAUNT SEASON began its limited theatrical run on October 4 and will be available on VOD starting October 8.