Starring - Dutch Hogan, Jamal McQuaid, and Francine Mitchell (Happy Helladays)
Release Date - 1986 (2011)
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "He's hungry...for human pie"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
Around this time last year I came across indie production company Wizard Home Video. Their DVD artwork suckered me in and I ordered three because the DVDs looked extremely bad ass. At that time I ordered Werewolf of Ohio (read the review here), Die-B-Que (read the review here), and Death O'Lantern. I watched the Werewolf of Ohio first because it looked the most compelling and ended up being one of the worst films I have ever seen. It is that very reason that I waited so long to see Die-B-Que. That movie was bad but still had entertaining qualities. I actually enjoyed it to a degree. However, I wanted to wait till October and the Halloween season to watch the third film I ordered, Death O'Lantern. This pumpkin themed slasher fit in perfectly with my 31 days of Halloween month long marathon.
Every town has their own Halloween themed urban legends and Sleepy Hollow is no different. Legend has it that a man, Stingy Jack, killed a bunch of kids and was caught. Before being executed he makes a deal with the Devil. Stingy Jack has three days before Halloween to kill six kids/teenagers and if he succeeds he can become human again. As bodies start to pile up the local horror club, and one stuck up, turn to horror and urban legends when they finally conclude that it is, in deed, Stingy Jack and they must stop him before he collects his sixth child.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I popped this one in. Like I said before, I liked Die-B-Que in a way but I was concerned I would not like this one. After the first kill I was in love. Don't get me wrong, this movie is by no means the Citizen Kane of horror but it was fun as hell and that is how all indie horror should be. This movie did not let budget stop them from entertaining and that should set an example for all indie directors. Have fun with it and deliver for the fans. Anyway, the acting in this one is a vast improvement over the other Wizard Home Video films I have seen but they are still scrapping the bottom of the acting barrel. The first scene really sets the tone for what you will see acting wise when the young man sees Jack for the first and actually "shakes in fear" and moves closer to Jack instead of away from him. The story is also nothing original but that does not stop this one from entertaining even at the slightest bit. With a bigger budget this movie could easily become a Halloween staple in everyone's home. Finally, the film does have a decent body count and decent kills to accompany them but the special effects are lacking making them less affective. A step up in the special effects and a little better acting would have made this film go a long way. Overall, this is a very solid Halloween slasher that is fun to watch if you are in a Troll 2 kinda mood. I recommend this one.
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