The Grandson: A Halloween Fan Film

Director - Robert Seawell

Starring - Robert Seawell, Wes Hightower, and Terri Gibson

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've found myself wanting to collect fan films.  I have no idea why but the last few weeks I've been searching social media for fan films.  I've found several that caught my attention and reached out to secure a copy.  It's illegal to sell fan films but if you donate to them or some other form of loophole you can usually get a copy of the film.  A few weeks ago I was searching through Instagram when I came across a post for Corn Teen Studio's The Grandson: A Halloween Fan Film.  I did some digging and found another post on FB which sent me to the director's page.  I reached out to Robert and was able to grab a copy of the film.  With Halloween just a few short days away I figured now was the best time to spin it.

     The film follow Donnie Loomis (Seawell) who is the grandson of the famed Dr. Loomis.  With Halloween upon him he finds himself decorating and preparing for the night when he gets a visit from a masked man wielding a knife.  He flees for his life but his roommate was not so lucky.  He soon realizes that his grandfather's nemesis, Michael Myers, has escaped the sanitorium and made his way to him and that his dear old grandfather was harboring a dark family secret.

     Fan films are usually made from passionate fans who want to continue their favorite films their own way.  In a lot of ways they can be fun but I often find myself wondering why they would spend all their time and energy on someone else's intellectual property instead of just tweaking their fan film into something original that they can call their own?  The Grandson has an interesting spin on the original Halloween mythos but some creative writing could have turned this Halloween fan film into something very different that they could credit as their own.  Regardless, The Grandon was a fun watch but I don't see myself revisiting it again.  The acting in this one is inconsistent but not bad.  Seawell not only takes over directing duties but he also has two roles in front of the camera.  He takes on a lot of roles here so it's understandable that his performance in some of the scenes is not on the same level as others.  I really liked his character and the depth he brought to it.  However, I could have lived without the scenes where he is talking to himself.  The film has a great Halloween aesthetic and dark atmosphere but hearing him talk to himself in the opening of the film made it a little laughable.  The story for this one takes a big leap with what we get in the original Halloween but I really liked the grandson angle.  It is a bit of a leap but I believe it pays off.  It works if you want my opinion and, honestly, I had more fun with this one than I did the most recent Halloween film.  Finally, the film has some blood but if you are looking for over the top kills and gore you will be very disappointed.  The kills work for a no budget indie horror film but if you expect more you will find yourself let down.  Overall, The Grandson is a no budget fan film that took a solid idea and executed it to the best of their abilities.  It does deliver a pretty fun spin on the classic Halloween story but the film isn't without faults.  It's worth a shot so check it out on YouTube.