Hallowarrior

Matt Neglia3.0

HALLOWARRIOR begins as a post-apocalyptic story about a young, lonely girl who adores all things Halloween, before turning into a tense home-invasion thriller. Gnarly kills, plenty of spooky holiday imagery, and an empathetic performance from Milly Shapiro as a sheltered girl who’s too kind for this cruel world but will do what she needs to do in order to survive. While some of the directorial choices undermine the tension, this lean genre effort remains engaging thanks to its atmosphere and Shapiro’s work.

filmfestival3.5

Hallowarrior is essentially Home Alone turned into a violent, drug-infused, post-apocalyptic horror movie. Hereditary’s Milly Shapiro makes a fantastic heroine to root for as the Halloween-obsessed Pumpkin, who still lives at her family’s home by herself, thinking she might be the last girl on Earth. One night, a gang of invaders, lead by the ruthless Thalia (Shannyn Sossamon), arrive, and she has to defeat them one by one. After an eerie setup to Pumpkin’s world, the film becomes a lean, mean thrill ride, clocking at a brisk 80 minutes. Cinematographer Steven Jacob Russell juxtaposes pumpkin-orange tones with darker colors to create the striking Halloween look of the film. Independent Film Company and Shudder will release Hallowarrior around Halloween. I am totally expecting a sequel.

ChrisSaam3.5

Better than the second half of Sinners???