Director: Ben Sottak
Cast: Milly Shapiro, Shannyn Sossamon, Ajani Russell, A.J. Bowen
Genre: Horror / Thriller
TL;DR - Hallowarrior has a Halloween atmosphere and a good performance from Milly Shapiro, but I was hoping for a bit more from it - it does have a few decent moments of tension and enough here to keep it entertaining, but the story isn't quite as interesting as the setup suggests.
Plot
Desperate for companionship on a post apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for, when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.
The Halloween Setting
Hallowarrior leans into Halloween a lot, where Pumpkin has spent years living alone after a plague wipes out most of humanity, and she continues decorating her home and celebrating the holiday despite having practically nobody left to share it with, and yes it's a slightly odd idea, but it gives the film some personality at least.
The house is full of decorations, sweets and old memories, creating this strange mix of cosy Halloween nostalgia and something genuinely depressing, watching Pumpkin trying to hold on to a bit of normality in a world that's completely fallen apart, and I thought that worked pretty well, as there's something quite sad about watching her prepare for visitors when there's every chance nobody will turn up.
It's also a nice change from the usual survival horror setting. Rather than spending the entire film in some miserable wasteland, there's a proper autumnal look to everything, with the atmosphere easily one of the film's strongest points, and it's probably the main reason I'd recommend giving it a go around Halloween.
Milly Shapiro Is Good, But the Story Lets Her Down
Milly Shapiro is the standout here. She's probably best known to horror fans for Hereditary, but she's got a much bigger role to get her teeth into this time around, and I thought she handled it well.
Pumpkin is lonely, a little strange and desperate for some human contact, but she's also been living in a dangerous world for years. That makes her an interesting character because she's not simply some helpless teenager waiting for somebody else to save her. She's got her own way of doing things, even if she's clearly not prepared for everything that comes her way.
The problem is that the writing doesn't always do enough with her. There are moments when the dialogue feels a bit too obvious, with characters explaining things that don't really need explaining, and some of the conversations go on longer than they should. Shapiro does what she can with the material, but there's only so much a good performance can do when the script keeps getting in its own way.
Ajani Russell also makes an impression as Wendy, particularly once the two characters start developing a relationship. I liked the contrast between them, and their scenes give the film something beyond the usual fight for survival. I just wish the writing had been a little sharper throughout.
Things Get Bloody, But I Wanted More From the Horror
Once the strangers arrive at Pumpkin's home, Hallowarrior starts moving into familiar home invasion horror territory. The people who turn up aren't exactly the friendly visitors she was hoping for, and it doesn't take long for things to go badly wrong.
There are some decent moments here, and the film certainly isn't afraid to get violent. The practical effects have a rough, low-budget quality to them, but there's enough blood and unpleasantness to keep horror fans happy. One or two moments made me wince, which is always a good sign when a film is trying to get a reaction out of me.
I also liked the idea of Pumpkin having to defend her home with whatever she can find. There's an obvious comparison to Home Alone, except this is a much nastier version where the consequences are considerably more serious. It's a good direction for the film to take, and I was waiting for it to really let loose.
Unfortunately, I don't think it makes quite as much of the idea as it could have done. Some of the violence is effective, but the film doesn't consistently build the tension or deliver the scares I was hoping for. There's a lot of potential in the setup, and while the final stretch has its moments, I was left feeling that it could have been much more inventive.
It Starts Stronger Than It Finishes
My biggest issue is that Hallowarrior feels like a better idea than it is an actual film. The opening gives us a lonely Halloween-obsessed survivor trying to keep some sort of life going after the end of the world, and I was interested in seeing where that would lead.
As the story develops, though, it becomes a more familiar tale of dangerous strangers, violence and fighting back. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but it loses some of the appeal that made the opening so interesting. I wanted more of the strange atmosphere and the character work, rather than a fairly standard run of home invasion horror scenes.
At just 80 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, which is a definite plus. Even so, there are stretches where the film feels like it's going through the motions, and the dialogue doesn't always help. The emotional side works better than I expected, but it isn't developed quite enough to make the story hit as hard as it could.
I wouldn't call it a bad film though, as there's enough here to make it worth a one time watch I though, particularly if you enjoy indie horror movies with a strong seasonal feel. I just think the filmmakers had a more interesting film in their hands than the one they ended up making.
Final Verdict
Hallowarrior is an enjoyable enough Halloween horror film with a good central performance, but the trouble is that the story becomes more predictable as it goes along, and the horror doesn't deliver as consistently as I'd hoped.