There was a slight chill in the air as we awoke Saturday morning and headed for Franklin and a day spent checking out the festivities at The Franklin Theatre for the Nashville Film Festival. I found myself feeling in a festive mood as we turned the calendar from September to October, and as I was looking over my agenda for the day, I thought there couldn’t be a better day to watch something like Spirit Halloween: The Movie.
This film follows a group of friends who are wrestling with the idea of growing up and ditching the old Halloween routine of trick or treating. Seeking out one last adventure before they start stressing out about chest hair and high school, the group decides to sneak in and spend the night in a local Spirit Halloween. But, what they envision as one last hoo-rah before adolescence turns into a nightmare as the store comes to life with terror at every turn.
For what it was, and it’s important to watch this movie through that lens, I thought they nailed it. Between the vibe of the movie, the themes they explored (growing up, loss, young love), and the magic of Halloween, Spirit Halloween: The Movie captures the essence of those classic 90s made-for-TV Halloween movies that folks my age grew up on. There was even a haunting legend of a Halloween night from “long ago…” It felt like it had a little bit of Goosebumps sprinkled in over some heavy Night at the Museum and The Goonies vibes. And, I’m not too much of a tough to admit that there were a couple of legit jump scares involving that nightcrawler thing that was freaky as hell even for a 36-year-old man sitting in a theatre watching this film with kids.
In a Q&A after the screening, director David Poag talked about the importance of making something his kids would like, and calling back to the Halloween films of his youth. I thought he executed upon that vision perfectly. The kids in the screening absolutely ate this up – I could hear them laughing, clapping, and gasping throughout the showing. That’s what it’s all about, folks.
Now, as for my criticisms – look, the themes are a bit cliché, but Spirit Halloween: The Movie knows what it is and doesn’t deviate from it. It’s not anything new, but what it is, it is wholly committed to. Before the screening, Poag told us to watch this in the mindset that it was made for kids. I wouldn’t say there’s nothing for adults in this movie. If you’re around my age, you grew up with flicks like this and there’s plenty of nostalgia to hold on to. And, I’ll give them credit – I was downright stunned by the bleak and beautiful cinematography of the opening scene of this movie. But, you don’t pop this one on the television and think you’re getting There Will Be Blood, y’know? It’s all about the perspective here.
I’d give it a steady 2.5/5 – a respectable grade for a rock solid effort in the throwback era of Halloween movies. I mean this as the utmost compliment – it’s the quintessential Freeform movie and it belongs on that rotation of kids movies each and every Spooky Season. If it was on television or streaming next October, I’d absolutely sit down to watch it with a bucket of popcorn. No doubt about it.
But, for my criticisms of the film, my wife, who attended the screening with me, reminded me not to be a total asshole and grade this movie for the audience that will consume it. I think that’s a fair thing to say. Judging by how much the kids at the screening enjoyed it, knowing how much all of the kids in my family would love it, and knowing that a nine-year-old Stoney would’ve loved it, I have no problem giving it an honorary 5/5 within that context.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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