Haunt

The premise to Haunt is nothing new to fans of Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse although the look and feel of both movies are entirely different animals.  Haunt is more of a haunted house experience rather than the carnival like atmosphere of The Funhouse, advertising itself as “extreme” to appeal to the Generation XYZ-who gives a shit crowd.  Real world extreme haunted houses are something I don’t think I would ever put myself through; they are essentially legalized torture where people poke you with sticks in the dark and vomit in your face while trying to induce the feeling of being drowned.  No thanks, life is torture enough. 

What I liked about Haunt is that you essentially know what to expect from the start, but it keeps messing with those expectations throughout.  You know the kids going through the haunted house are the proverbial meat for the grinder, but the movie is very patient, gathering the right amount of suspense and atmosphere before going into full tilt crazy kill mode, and it doesn’t disappoint.  The killers themselves seem to be next-level Halloween obsessed freaks, the movie leaks just enough information about them to keep them mysterious, creepy, and terrifying.  You don’t want to know what’s behind the mask.  The film is bathed in the neon glow colors of a funhouse which seems appropriate, and the kill-set-pieces are well done, it kept me guessing until the end and wishing for a sequel.  They aren’t overdone or over the top like Saw where you have trouble believing someone could build these traps, and the movie isn’t overly focused on gross torture porn.  I think this is a good stalk and slash to kick start the Halloween season this year, and a surprisingly good slasher.  I would have gone to the theaters to see this one.   I think there was a movie with almost the exact same premise that came out last year (except it was a horror festival rather than a single haunted house), I can’t even recall the name of it, but I have a feeling I will be re-watching Haunt for a while.    I think it’s the best new slasher I’ve seen all year, or at least since Halloween 2018.