All Hallows’ Eve [Digital]
With the release of Terrifier 2, we thought we’d go back to where it all began, so that we can fully appreciate the advancements of the character and the series. Technically, that takes us back to 2008’s short film, The 9th Circle, which upon searching for online, we discovered that it was re-utilised within 2013’s All Hallows’ Eve - from director Damien Leone. His 2011 short, titled Terrifier (which would later come to be the title of Art the Clown’s own series of films) is also utilised in the same way, with both of these shorts appearing in the form of segments within a creepy VHS.
It’s Halloween night, and Sarah - played by Katie Maguire - is babysitting her friend’s kids, Tia and Timmy. They’ve been out trick or treating, and have come home with bags full of candy - only to find a videotape has been put into Timmy’s bag at some point during the evening. Naturally, Sarah finds this to be quite a sinister thing, worried that anything could reside on this tape. Who would put an unmarked tape in a child’s bag of candy? She doesn’t feel that they should watch it - but after being outvoted by the kids, they end up putting it on out of curiosity. I honestly don’t know how I’d feel in that situation - morbid curiosity would definitely be nipping away at me, but I’m also a big scaredy cat; and you know what they say about curiosity killing the cat.
The first segment of the videotape is what had previously been known as ‘The 9th Circle’, and features the first appearance of Art the Clown. Whilst in a slightly simpler costume design, he is still instantly recognisable. Sitting across from our unnamed soon-to-be-victim, played by Kayla Lian, Art plays around and makes her uncomfortably laugh before offering her a rose, though this isn’t quite as sweet as it seems. His silence and almost friendly, joking demeanour quickly turns, making him all the more unsettling. The slightly cheesy acting, lower budget film quality and evolving plot line that moves from a simple kidnapping to ritualistic terrors from a satanic cult all makes for an unsettling intro to the mysterious tape.
The composition of these strange and downright creepy VHS segments being spliced in between the seeming safety of the babysitter watching from a warm, comfy couch with the kids enhances the atmosphere of the scenes within the tape. One segment is evidently enough for Sarah to banish the kids to bed, even after a bunch of protesting. Even after the kids are off to sleep, the awkward, unnerving content of the VHS calls to our flame-haired babysitter, and she just can’t resist putting it back on to find out more of the mystery that lies within.
The next segment sees us following the story of Caroline (Catherine Callahan), who is in the process of moving in to her brand new home. Her partner, an artist whose latest work is set to be his best seller - though he doesn’t remember painting it - isn’t home, so whilst he’s away, she’s having a relaxing night when she hears something and gets creeped out. We’ve all been there; alone at night in a dark house, when you start to hear noises or get that creepy feeling that someone or something is watching you - so she starts to look around to find the source. This segment was created entirely for All Hallows’ Eve, and offers a lot of tense moments alongside the strangest, most bizarre part of the whole movie that ends up falling short. I don’t want to spoil the whole thing with this part but I just found it to be the weakest of the three despite having a decent premise behind it.
Our final VHS segment, which is 2011’s original Terrifier short, follows a young costume designer trying to make her way to New York, when she runs low on gas and comes across Art the Clown at a very quiet gas station. This is the best of the three parts with more of a cat and mouse chase going on, and a lot more threat emanating from Art, who isn’t willing to let his victim go easily. As this segment ends - and even whilst Sarah is watching, we return to the ‘safety’ of the house, but things are getting weird. A shadowy figure lurking in a hallway, the kids proclaiming that they could hear Sarah skulking around outside the bedroom door (despite being downstairs at the time), and mention of something being hidden in a wardrobe, all ups the danger of this suburban home - culminating in a horrendously effective scene at the conclusion.
Overall, All Hallows’ Eve was an enjoyable introduction to the character of Art the Clown and his terrifying antics - and it has made us look forward to seeing the Terrifier movies even more.
In the end, we decided to give All Hallows’ Eve the Collecting Asylum rating of 6.5/10.
Are you interested in All Hallows’ Eve? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
