A Halloween Feast

A Halloween Feast might be more of a comedy for sickos than it is a horror film, and that's perfectly fine with me! While it's clearly low budget and narratively chaotic (the latter seems intentional), it is competently crafted and makes the most of what it has to work with, ultimately serving up a spooky-flavored John Waters-esque campfest. Well, I'm not sure if even Mr. Waters could have come up with a twist quite as, um, depraved as the final revelation of Feast, but I'm sure it would meet with his approval!

At its best, this is hilarious in both its outrageous, gory set pieces and in its more lowkey jokes- I'm not a gorehound, so a major LOL for me was when the main character tells a drunk Nietzche-quoting man who wears a dinosaur costume for a living that "it's nice to meet someone so normal"- the dating pool is rough, ladies. But then there's Lynn Lowry's absolutely unhinged lead performance, which is honestly iconic, and when she's front-and-center the movie really sings (not unlike Kathleen Turner's work in Serial Mom). "THESE FEET HAVE DANCED AROUND THE WORLD" is destined to become a popular quote in the cult horror movie crowd.

If you're down for indie horror and you get a kick out of Waters and co's brand of camp, or if you're an appreciator of the pitch-black humor amidst the spurting blood in Leone's Terrifier films (you freaky weirdo), you'll probably vibe with this one. Maybe don't watch it with your family, though.

It was surprising the vast gap between the apparent current "ratings" and reviews and the actual movie.

This plays like a typical classic bad tv movie with general nobodies or unknowns.

If you can tolerate that sort of quality of production you might indeed just find things to enjoy buried under that budget value mass produced poor quality controlled content.

Personally the every general aspect from the lackluster display of fx or the simple audio which while not horrible or by any means the worst of the worst or exceptionally bad it embraces fully that tv movie median level of quality.

I think this plants it soundly below a 5 and at a 4 for me although certainly i could understand rating it in the range between the two.

I simply didn't have the capacity to find even one lifeline to cling to like the one semi decent actor or perhaps that one good performance or bit of writing.

On paper at a glance the concept sounds promising but the reality is simply cold and hard and glaring.

If you have more expectation for A Halloween Feast beyond its reality prepare for an early famine leading into the cold lean winter of the season.

This awkwardly is hiding behind its own halloween mask of seemingly paid reviews or deeply biased and shameless self promotion that seems a common trend these days evidenced usually by very early low numbers in the ratings to indicate the disingenuous promotional campaign tactic on the cheap for the cheap.

The best way to watch this would be under a cheap ghost costume where you don't cut the eyeholes out of the sheet.

Every now and then, a horror-comedy comes along that feels like a potluck party: it's got a little of everything, some hits and some misses, but overall, you're glad you showed up. A Halloween Feast, directed by Guile Branco, is exactly that. It blends campy scares with quirky humor, dishes out nostalgia with every frame, and tops it all off with seasoned performances from genre veterans like Lynn Lowry. It's not the scariest horror-comedy you'll ever see, but it's certainly a tasty treat worth savoring.

What begins as a Halloween dinner soon turns into a nightmare, with blood, laughs, and an otherworldly twist. The movie is self-aware without being too meta, relying on horror tropes but giving them a lighthearted twist.

Branco seems to understand that the magic of horror-comedies lies in striking the right balance between absurdity and genuine tension. He leans into the absurd, which helps A Halloween Feast stand out. Instead of pushing too heavy on the jump scares, he plays with audience expectations, keeping things just unpredictable enough to be engaging. It's more "creepy chuckles" than "scream-your-face-off" horror, but that's exactly where the movie shines.

The Main Course: Performances that Hit the Spot

One of the film's main ingredients for success is its cast, with Lynn Lowry delivering a standout performance. For those who remember her iconic roles in 70s horror cult classics (Shivers, The Crazies), she brings a delicious mix of menace and charm. Lowry is fully in her element here, her expressive eyes and icy calm making even the most ludicrous lines feel grounded in something real. She knows how to play the dark humor, expertly walking the line between creepy and campy.

The rest of the cast, in contrast, brings a more straightforward comedic energy, caught in increasingly bizarre situations. The timing is sharp, and the chemistry off-kilter that keeps the movie moving.

Side Dishes: Humor and Horror in Unequal Measure

The film's humor is its strongest asset, the comedic elements are hit!

The Halloween Feast is what happens when someone throws a party, forgets the food, but serves chaos on silver platters. It's stylish, self-aware, and surprisingly fun - even when it's tripping over its own atmosphere like a final girl in platform boots.

Visually? A treat. The lighting team deserves a raise.

Narratively? A little undercooked. Some characters feel like horror archetypes fresh out the shrink wrap - disposable, dramatic, and conveniently dumb.

The kills? Creative. The pacing? Snappy enough to hide the soft spots.

But the real MVP is the tone: somewhere between Clue, Goosebumps after dark, and your weird cousin's haunted house party that actually slaps.

It's not reinventing horror - but it is confidently crashing the genre buffet and licking all the knives.

Rating: 7 out of 10 bloodstained party favors.

Don't be mid. Bring a sharper script next time.

It was a wild and crazy ride watching this movie. The ending is a COMPLETE surprise! REALKY liked the goth girl character and the Grandmother. My family is crazy and so is this one. I was very impressed with the musical soundtrack. It's a great movie to watch in a dark Saturday night with friends... everyone will have feedback! The family relationships are complicated, generationally crazed family members and throw in a psychiatrist who gets involved and you begin to wonder if the whole world is weird. Not sure I will ever look at a family dinner the same way again and may keep this on the back of my mind when they cut the turkey but Holiday dinners should be full of Surprises!