Ever since “The Collective” got together to make their own anthology series revolving around demonic VHS tapes, every indie director has been attempting to cash in on the formula. “All Hallow’s Eve” is yet another take off on the concept, except it’s set around Halloween! A hot nanny (Katie Maguire) and two of the worst child actors in history have come back from trick or treating, and the nanny discovers an odd unmarked VHS tape in one of her charge’s trick or treat bags.
Rather than the boy saying “Wait–What’s a VHS?” and tossing it out, the nanny is forced in to playing the mysterious VHS for the kids. I know what you’re thinking: Who still has a VCR in this day and age? Lo and behold (after the obligatory clips of “Night of the Living Dead” playing on television) the nanny plays the VHS for the kids, and they sit through three really boring horror tales. “All Hallow’s Eve” looks less like director Damien Leone wanted to tell horror stories, and more like he wanted to employ some friends who happen to be special effects artists.
All of the stories feature some sort of effect that looks like it’ll eventually be used in a reel for one of the artists on the film, and none of it is impressive. After the babysitter sits through a very nonsensical tale about demon rape, and the devil, she sits through the two remaining stories, all of which have recurring imagery of a generic demon clown within them. The first film feels pretty much like a lame student film with a bunch of terrible special effects come together to form some junk about satan. The second short feels like a bargain basement take off on “Alien Abduction Slumber Party” from “VHS 2” where a young woman moves to the country for peace and quiet and ends up being terrorized by an alien.
The third short focuses on Generic the clown as he terrorizes a young girl at a gas station, and will stop at nothing to ensure her pain. “All Hallow’s Eve” is a pointless exercise in the anthology format with no real stand out stories, or performances in the bunch. Even with Generic the Clown acting as the basic clothesline for all of the tales, Damien Leone’s indie anthology horror film is a very forgettable and dull genre entry. The DVD comes with an audio commentary from director Leone.