Customer Reviews

All Hallows' Eve

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read all of the rave reviews as well as the nasty ones regarding this independent horror flick, but my comments attempt to find a middle ground. All Hallow's Eve is indeed made on a shoestring budget, but accomplishes a lot with what it has. The action is initially set at an apartment where a group of costumed young friends have gathered on Halloween for a party. They proceed to tell spooky stories, which take place as three small movies within the movie and cast members playing double parts. The stories are basically enactments of urban legends related to an escaped convict, a jealous lover and a local vampiress. All of the stories are told by females in the group, and in each, the boyfriend/husband is a lunkhead. Actual rivalries among the young women are inserted in the stories as well, taking the form of frequently naked seductresses and their aggressive avengers.

Some aspects of the film are surprisingly effective: the energetic cast, the moody theme music, and the stories themselves, which are often suspenseful. However, other aspects are pretty lame, particularly in the middle story, where the acting, staging and special effects (is that chocolate syrup they're trying to pass off as blood?) don't rise to the occasion.

Those weighing whether to check this film out might go the unbox route, as I did; you get to watch the movie without being saddled with a disk you don't want.

I'm not a fan of the genre, but I enjoyed watching the flick. The concept was good and there were some moments that were truly well-done -- the vampire's erotic bed scene was mesmerizing. Overall, however, the film's indie origins were too evident. Some of the visual segues were too abrupt and distracting. I kept wondering: "How did we get from there to here?" "How did it change from night to day in minutes?" etc. Also some of the background details need to be watched carefully. Indie films are made on a hairline budget, but it doesn't cost anything or take any time to remove distracting items from the background, the room, etc., or to change the camer angle to avoid getting them in the frame. Example: The real estate box on the door of the vampire's house. Still, it was fun to watch as long as it wasn't taken too seriously. The people making it were obviously having fun. So should the viewer.

Wow! This movie was entertaining from start to finish. The first story was perhaps the stongest from a narrative point of view. It was also the most suspenseful. I must say, I did not see that ending coming. The second story was the most emotional. Very intense and it had plenty of dark humor. My favorite was the last story. This was the most fun and I am partial to vampires. Great music, great cinematography and effects and the actors were great all around. I can't wait to watch it again.

First off, a word of warning. This movie and the 2008 All Hallows Eve version [...] are EXACTLY the same movie. I guess someone decided to repackage the movie for a new release.

Beyond that, this is a low budget indie horror movie. Minimal blood, minimal nudity.

All in all, not great, but not that bad. I've paid more to watch worse.

I purchased this DVD in large part due to the theme description/name backed by the surprising number of high-star reviews, so I went into this with happy expectations. Unfortunately, the film was, overall, a let down.

The acting was, respectfully, not bad but about the equivalent of a lower-level college course or community theater troupe; they do what they have to do - sometimes stiffly, sometimes believably - but also somewhat cliched and don't really put forth a believability factour. It leaves you feeling, as noted, like you're watching some relatively rookie'ish performance in many cases. That said, it wasn't that which really brought down the film for me - one realizes you're not watching for Oscar-level performances here and the acting isn't sub-par enough to really detract that much enjoyment.

What really left me wishing I could get a refund were the stories. I love Hallowe'en and I love anthologies - this sounded like a perfect film. Unfortunately, Hallowe'en is relatively non-existant for the film except as a "time of year" framing sequence (I should note the introduction talking about Hallowe'en though was exceptional - if the rest of the film had gone for the same atmosphere it would have been much better). People at a Hallowe'en party decide to tell scary stories - that's about it for Hallowe'en's appearance. The three stories - basically three girls slamming competitors and their boyfriends - have nothing to do with the season or the ambience one expects in a tale called "All Hallows Eve".

The first story was easily the weakest and should, perhaps, have been saved for the middle as it was such a turn-off it made it difficult to enjoy any of the rest of the film. It's about a man who neglects his one-year anniverary to go out hunting and ends up chased by a sniper. There were just some truly...absurd...actions in it (SPOILER: If you're being chased through the woods by a gun-toting "sniper" (I think the "sniper" was maybe just trying to scare and not actually kill, though that's rather unclear to me) do you stop and doze off when the killer has barely even moved away from your rather open hiding spot?). The acting was also the most wooden in this section.

The second story was better and, as it was meant (at least I guess based on the constant references) as a nod to Hitchcock, delivers a nice little twist you would expect from the great "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" series. Acting was better than the first story and the camera work was better. Still some slightly illogical bits - pay attention to the length between mention of the police outside and their actual arrival - but nothing too distracting. The big problem, like most of the film, is that the story isn't all that scary - just meant to creep out a boyfriend and a flirtatious competitor at the framing party - and, most importantly, isn't a Hallowe'en tale. That may not seem like a big deal but, well, the movie is presented as a Hallowe'en film.

The third story is a relatively straight-forward vampire tale. Decent enough for the budget/troupe and would have been fine except, again, doesn't really fit the theme presented by the name/description. I will give them credit for trying to make their own little mythology with this (part of the reason for the second star).

Really, this would have worked a lot better if it wasn't presented so much as a Hallowe'en anthology. Call it something else, downplay the Hallowe'en party, etc. and, perhaps, it wouldn't have been such a disappointment. Still not a fantastic film - and really not worth $20 (sorry) - but the misleading aspect really drags down things.

I LOVED this film! The different stories and subplots keep the movie running at an engrossing pace. The most compelling performance was given by Serena Lorien who plays Doris/Molly. I had previously seen Serena in "You Don't Know Jack" and she does an even more superior job in this one. I predict she has a fantastic career ahead of her. I highly recommend "All Hallows' Eve" to all fans of the horror genre!

Wow! This movie was entertaining from start to finish. The first story was perhaps the stongest from a narrative point of view. It was also the most suspenseful. I must say, I did not see that ending coming. The second story was the most emotional. Very intense and it had plenty of dark humor. My favorite was the last story. This was the most fun and I am partial to vampires. Great music, great cinematography and effects and the actors were great all around. I can't wait to watch it again.

We really enjoyed this movie...there's just the right balance of horror, humor and suspense. With superb acting, excellent directing and some exceptional scenery throughout we were disappointed when it came to an end. In this reviewer's opinion there is no doubt that we will be hearing and seeing much more of everyone involved in the making of All Hallow's Eve.

This is the worst movie ever. I only watch the first story and then tossed the disc in the trash. I rather watch paint dry, or my hair grow. Mr Sparks should have his video camera taken away and go work at wal-mart. Please don't waste your time or money. I did.

Simply a fantastic horror film and highly recommended for those interested in small, local films. Joseph D. Durbin is a terrific young actor and should have been named one of the headliners of this film. The film industry should take note of the special, unique, potential and talent of Joseph D. Durbin. Hats off to Joseph D. Durbin for his role in this film, A+, 5 star performance.