Halloween Party (2019) User Reviews

A funny, campy, good time

[korythacher · 5/10 · 12 November 2021]

Halloween Party is really mild in the horror department even for a TV14 rating.

Nothing I recall was very scary or gory.

I thought this was above average for a "supernatural teen slasher comedy" and I enjoyed it, but if I came in expecting a serious horror movie then I probably wouldn't have liked it. In the end I was torn between 5-6.

They had a lot of opportunity to do more, and it felt a little low budget at times, but the majority of it still looked pretty good.

A Halloween Party With Balloons

[ADavo63 · 6/10 · 9 October 2021]

For a modern day horror movie, definitely above average. It had a a couple of characteristics that most lack: A little charm and a couple of likable characters. In most horror movies today you root for the slasher, monster, or evil entity to dispatch all the loathsome and obnoxious "protagonists". The creepy factor was relatively high and the dialogue and acting was better than expected. Overall an entertaining little Halloween flick.

Amy Groening is the highlight in this low budget horror-comedy

[pericote1 · 6/10 · 26 September 2021]

Caught this on Amazon Prime and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was competently directed and edited, and had some witty banter, and enough blood to keep things interesting. Amy Groening does a nice job in this and I would love to see her get more exposure in a wide release film.

Horror comedy

[bgmagic22 · 5/10 · 7 October 2020]

There were serious parts but I got a chuckle here and there. Ok for what it is, I guess...light, cheesy horror. Although the cgi for some of the monsters sucked, I didn't hate the movie & would recommend if nothing else is on.

Fun watch.

[dlmyst-29813 · 7/10 · 29 June 2021]

This is a good popcorn film with some scares here and there. The acting was pretty good too which I was surprised. It's definitely a B movie with a cool ending.

Great first half, not so good second.

[kjjames81 · 4/10 · 2 June 2022]

Watched this little film last night and came away happy and satisfied from it but still was bugged by the last twenty something minutes and really bugged by the ending.

Why? Well when things happen to the three guys at the party was very rushed and it showed on film, this I found spoilt the way the film had ran so far.

Then there was the ending, bit did I this spoil the whole movie, well almost. I think they could have done it a lot better and the low budget showed through this scene.

Overall I enjoyed this movie and yes I am glad that I watched it but I wish the producers and people involved in the movie would have shown it to a test audience first and then took notes.

Hopefully next time if they do a sequel maybe they can take this on board.

This film could have easily had a six rating rather than a four if they didn't mess up the second half.

Non-pretentious, but entertaining and effective horror-flick.

[johannes2000-1 · 7/10 · 8 November 2020]

I started watching this with low expectations: a dvd with a lame non-specific Halloween'ish title and a ditto dull cover, promising a third-rate wannabe horror flick with bad acting, but hopefully good for some laughs. Well, to be honest I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's obviously a very low budget thing, it's on all cinematographic accounts small and non-pretentious, the very few special effects are extremely simple. But it still succeeded in entertaining me and keeping me on the edge of my chair for the whole 90 minutes!

This is due to a solid script, a good pace and effective direction and editing, making it in spite of the absence of expensive FX and CGI genuinely scary. Amy Groening and T. Thomason, playing the major characters, are attractive to watch and do a fine job, both acting very natural and easy. And the sober musical score in combination with tension-filled silences is exactly right to create the needed sinister and ominous atmosphere.

In short: in spite of its obvious limitations worthwhile and gladly recommended.

Starts Off Rather Well but Deteriorates Around the Halfway Mark

[Uriah43 · 3/10 · 6 December 2022]

This film essentially begins with two female college students named "Zoe" (Marietta Laan) and "Grace" (Amy Groening) talking in their dorm room when suddenly they both get a chain email demanding to know what they fear the most. Those who respond in an honest manner and within the allotted time receive a message saying that they are safe from any reprisal. Those who fail to give an honest answer or within the allotted time get an image of a witch--and are subsequently killed not long afterward. And so it is with Grace, who answers honestly and gets a reprieve. Zoe, on the other hand, does not comply and is murdered in a horrible manner not long afterward. Yet even though she tells everything to the police, when they refuse to take the chain email seriously, she then goes to the university computer lab and enlists the help of one of the students named "Spencer" (T. Thomason) who agrees to look into Zoe's computer to track down the sender. Unfortunately, what he discovers is something both he and Grace wish they had left alone. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this movie starts off quite well and, for the first 30 minutes or so, I thought that this film showed some promise. Sadly, it really deteriorated around the halfway mark and became quite tedious from that point on. And while both Amy Groening and T. Thomason played their parts rather well, neither of them could overcome the poor special effects or the mishandled plot. That being said, I have rated this film accordingly. Below average.

Its faults add to the charm

[Blazehgehg · 7/10 · 30 October 2020]

This movie sort of rules. It's not a great movie by any stretch, but it does the best it can with what it has available (read: basically nothing) and I admire its ability to go for it.

A Halloween-themed computer virus spreads across a college campus via an internet meme wherein people are asked about their worst fears. Within 24 hours, those same people wind up dead, seemingly killed by whatever scared them the most. But who's really doing the killing, and why?

This movie channels a tiny sliver of old school Sam Raimi vibes. Not with his energy or slapstick, but in the tendency for his movies to embrace the inherent goofiness of their premise. This is a dumb movie, so dumb it can borderline on self-parody. Definitely dumb enough to be considered kind of trashy.

But then you get whiplash because it stops to take itself just seriously enough that you stay hooked. There's a delightfully weird spark this movie taps in to sometimes, and some decently tense moments. Rarely scary, mind you, but tense enough for a bit of mood. It works enough that I felt like I had a good time.

If this movie were a person, you'd tell it "You're a bad movie" and it would grin and reply, "I know, and that's why you love me."

And it'd be right. Dumb, trashy, bad, whatever you want to call it, but I had fun.

Forgettable

[edoster19 · 5/10 · 18 May 2022]

This is a movie I will not remember having watched; it was noise and that's about it. If you are looking for something to play in the background while you're working or something, this will not distract you.

Not Very Scary But VERY Fun

[lockewasalwaysbest · 8/10 · 9 October 2020]

It's really not super scary, no. That's not always my interest in a horror film. I want to see acting that's decent, dialogue with some snap, and story that has some nuance. I was impressed with this. Yes, it's funny quite often, but NOT in a campy way. Think Happy Death Day's quieter baby sister. I've watched a lot of horror movies and this one was pretty creative and well done. A couple well-placed jump scares that weren't the cheesy sudden loud music kind but actually were part of the main story of the movie. I'd say watch this with someone who will snicker along with the two leads' snarking at each other. The final scene was great. Forgive the movie its flaw of slightly slow editing and just know you're not going to be super tense in your seat while watching but it's worth it!

Join the party! Deserves better, for low budget horror.

[metalbeard · 7/10 · 5 November 2020]

Considering the amount of terrible, schlocky, unfunny low budget horror out there, this one is actually pretty good. Original plot, good dialog, funny jokes and decent acting from a cast of unknowns make this eminently watchable. Effects were minimal and not great but didn't detract from the fun. Some great creepy moments too. You could do much worse.

Wasn't horrible

[michellepowell-44182 · 5/10 · 8 October 2020]

Not great not horrible. just okay. Watchable and sometimes scary.

Don't Invest Any of your Precious Time

[trapperjohn-21494 · 1/10 · 31 October 2021]

Had the visual feel of a bad tv movie or after-school special. No jump scares, no characters you care about, college students carry on after the death of their friends like nothing has happened. I kept watching hoping it would give me something to justify sitting there watching it. In the end I just really want that time of my life back. Vagina spiders? Really?????? Computer scenes are a major war games ripoff. Whatever you do, steer clear of this Halloween party. Its a jumbled mess. Possibly worse than Halloween III Season of the Witch.

Good Horror movies hard to come by

[jgkelley-48797 · 7/10 · 1 February 2021]

I would suggest any1 who hates horror movies to no bother with this movie. Why would u even watch this if that's the case. I'm actually surprised at the reviews I read where a person will, "I'm not a fan of such & such genre", then they go on to say, "but decided to give 'movie x' a try & boy it sucked, blah blah blah". It's like don't waste our times writing a review then cuz u couldn't be any less objective.

But for those of us who do enjoy horror movies, this was def one of the better ones ova the last couple yrs. I'm not saying it's great, but imho it's pretty good. I've seen better so I'm not gonna go out and give it 9 or 10 but def 6-8 for most I would think. It's well put together, the acting was solid considering it's not A-Listers as horror movies rarely are. I'd be surprised if someone enjoys horror movies & didn't like this. I kinda don't what you'd be expecting for a movie like this. HellFest & Wolves are prob my 2 fav horror movies in the past couple yrs & trick & haunt are up there as well. This IMO isn't as good as those, but still pretty good by its own merit. If you enjoy those horror movies that used to be on chiller network & occasionally are on sci-fi channel, then I would think worst case some of you would just be like meh it was ok. And that's worst case while I'd bet most would enjoy it.

The movie is your typical get into a predicament & try & find your way out. Tons of horror movies are plotted out this way & I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that. I don't scare easy & didnt reallly in this movie, but did get occasionally get a lil creeped out here & there. It's at least worth a once over. If u got other movies, ya can give them a try first but if your looking for something & specifically in this genre. You could 💯 do a lot worst

Totally a ....

[ks-60500 · 3/10 · 13 October 2020]

For the storyline it's just repetitive and copy n copy again. The scary part is very low and somehow make me laugh. Totally a comedy to me.

Lightweight, fun horror

[rfinnct · 7/10 · 12 October 2021]

I've been watching horror movies for over 40 years (yeah, I'm old). I state this only because in all those years I've seen high-budget flicks that were awful, and low-budget ones that were great (and vice-versa both ways). This is obviously on the lower budget side, but I have to say the overall look and production design make it look far more polished than I expected from a free movie on Tubi that I'd never heard of before. The script and characterizations were also quite a step above what I'd expected as well. Many of the characters had very distinct personalities and traits, which is kinda rare in horror movies where most portray them as just bland, disposable, and usually annoying.

I see a lot of reviews saying it's a "fun" movie, and I have to agree. It's written well with some outright funny/witty lines at times, but to me doesn't completely cross the line into comedy horror. But is it scary? Kinda. It's got some effectively creepy moments, but unless you're a horror lightweight, I don't see it keeping anyone up at night. And to further that thought, the tone of the movie seems a little bipolar; sometimes seemingly aimed at teens (almost with a campy, Goosebumps vibe), but also scattered with some graphic images, f-bombs, and off-color humor that don't seem appropriate for a younger audience. The acting also runs the gamut from surprisingly strong to (hopefully intentionally) campy. I think all of that leads to the "fun" aspect of it, but those looking for straight-up serious horror would be let down.

One more note: the plot is more nuanced and involved than I expected, but it reallllly doesn't stand up to much scrutiny... at least not the whole "meme" aspect of spreading the curse ("meme" not even being the correct term, when it's more like a virus) which seems clunky, illogical in its own rules, and visually juvenile.

If you're looking for horror with a capital H, I'd give this one a pass; but if you're looking for something fun with some creep factor, I think this would fit the bill. Especially around Halloween.

Yeah, that was a swing and a miss...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 3 October 2020]

I was given the chance to sit down and watch the 2019 horror movie "Halloween Party" here in 2020. Without ever having heard of the movie, I sat down to watch it, readily expecting myself to be in for a horror movie. Turns out that "Halloween Party" wasn't even the least bit scary, nor overly interesting either.

The storyline told in "Halloween Party", as written by writer and director Jay Dahl turned out to be a rather unappealing and unwholesome one. The storyline just never caught on with me, partly because it seemed like a random heap of incoherent events and also because it just was downright boring.

For a horror movie then "Halloween Party" missed the train entirely. There was absolutely nothing scary in this movie whatsoever. And for a seasoned horror veteran such as myself, then this was just a swing and a miss. I was rather bored with the movie and managed to endure about an hour of the movie, then I just gave up out of sheer boredom, and I have no intention of ever returning to watch the rest of the movie.

The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the severe limitations imposed on the actors and actresses by a dubious script and storyline.

What "Halloween Party" has working for it, was the acting performances and the production value. But without a properly entertaining storyline, there was just so little that could be done to lift up the movie.

My rating of "Halloween Party" is a mere three out of ten stars. If you enjoy horror movies with a proper storyline that contains scares and spooky moments, then "Halloween Party" is not the movie for you.

Fun B-Movie with Nostalgic Feel

[icocleric · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

Even though its set in modern day and is about a computer virus/meme it has the feel of horror films made in 90s or earlier, but in the best kind of way. It has cheesey moments, but I really enjoyed it.

It seemed to do so in a purposeful not taking itself too seriously kind of way. The plot was good too, I really liked the story behind the whole thing. The acting was good too, and it was paced pretty well.

The dude bros are a little over the top but, they still work.

Non-scary copy/paste mystery thriller.

[paulclaassen · 4/10 · 23 October 2022]

'Halloween Party' has nothing to do with a Halloween party. This is the name of a computer virus that pops up on your computer, asking you to enter your biggest fear before a timer runs out.

Shortly after receiving the message on her friend's computer, Grace learns of the death of her best friend - who was killed by her biggest fear. When the police doesn't believe her, she approaches computer science geeks to try and find the origin of the 'virus'. This might sound like an interesting premise, and I thought at first it compared nicely to the mystery of 'The Ring'.

'Halloween Party' is still better than any of the Michael Myers' 'Halloween' sequels and has more substance, but it lacks vision. This is not a body count slasher like most Halloween movies out there, but a mystery thriller instead. Grace and nerd Spencer learn about children with a terrible skin disabling disease, and this story reminded me a bit of 'Sinister' - only to a certain extent, off course.

Unfortunately 'Halloween Party' turned into a real B-movie during the final act, with terrible performances from supporting actors, and even the photography looked cheap. For the finale they opted for a 'Paranormal Activity/Blair Witch Project' look (yawn) - complete with similar dialogue. The ending was also a bit stupid.

Although the concept was good, the execution wasn't all that great. It felt like they were putting ideas from various movies together, and it didn't gel all that well. I also didn't find Grace a credible heroin, and her character always in bed answering her phone became a bit deja vu. 'Halloween Party' was also not scary at all. In fact, it delivered very little in the form of thrills and chills. I actually don't think I'm going to remember this movie.

Really FUN for what it is

[mgratk · 8/10 · 9 October 2021]

This is a good creepy horror story for what it is. Not too serious. Just a fun movie for October. Sure, save the best horror films for the end of the month. But this one is fine. This is not a spoiler, but it is hugely important. One of the characters runs a nice relaxing hot bath, and proceeds to soak in the tub with the shower curtain INSIDE the tub. What kind of a monster does that?! What kind of director would allow that to be a thing?! That is the real question here and the very real horror of this story.

Pretty decent

[angelowhite-16318 · 6/10 · 5 September 2021]

I watched this movie without any expectations, as these kinds of movies are hit or miss. And this movie was both, I think?

It really hits in a lot of ways: takes a somewhat cliché horror trope and puts and interesting spin on it, has pretty good chemistry between the two main protagonists, and makes it hard to tell how the movie will end

It also has some misses: the story goes against previous important points throughout the movie, terrible CGI, inconsistencies with how the cursed meme works, and never showed anyone actually get killed

It is a good movie if you just want to kick it with friends and chill, but it is not the movie for someone looking to be scared. I, overall, enjoyed this movie. The acting was decent and it made me laugh, just lacked the context to tie the story together.

skip it

[plasssaskia · 1/10 · 27 March 2021]

This is a low budget money like seriously how much did they spend to create this. It feels like a parody or something some teens put together. The actors are terrible and none of them are likeable. It was nothing scary about this if I did not see the description I would not think this is a 2019 movie.

Trash has better composition

[takato0524 · 1/10 · 2 February 2021]

What a waste of time for everyone involved in this dumpster fire. I went into this knowing how much I hate today's youth and was hoping for some good horror and death. This movie had none of it. It's like they were trying to capture the essence of 90s horror, yet no one was actually born before 2005. It wasn't even laughable bad. Nothing flowed together. The acting was terrible. The male lead should stick to singing or whatever it is he does in Canada cuz his acting made me wish his mother had drank when she was pregnant. The female lead was dry with an annoying voice. And the extras were over the top 90s cliches. Save yourself time by passing this by.

Not that bad

[jimmyb-03299 · 6/10 · 23 August 2021]

I liked everything about this movie except for the stupid frat guys. It was way over the top! Grace is freakin sexy as hell !!!