Director and writer Michael Ballif’s anthology series “10/31” has been a mixed bag of mostly treats that’s done well in celebrating the Halloween season. It’s been way too overlooked in a barrage of indie horror films out on the market, and that’s a shame. “10/31” as a whole is a movie series that deserves a bigger audience, in spite of “Part III” never quite sticking the landing. I’d say it has a lot of good ideas, but never manages to be as good as the first two films, when all is said and done.
The best of the four horror tales is “House of the Mummy” by Michael Ballif who pulls off his own version of “The Crate” from “Creepshow.” Centered on an owner of an old mansion who is getting off of a bad divorce, he decides to raise money by staging a haunted house. When he comes across an old mummy at a party shop, things take a turn for the terrifying. This segment definitely has its influences in “The Crate” and the mummy is just a darn good horror villain.
The weakest of the foursome is “The Locksmith” a segment with literally no narrative. It has one line of exposition about a disfigured man left behind by his family in an old house, and he spends the majority of the segment just killing people and nothing else. It’s a shame since the Jacob Perrett is a strong visual director. “Old Man Gross” from Brad Twigg is rough around the edges, but has a neat concept of about four trick or treaters that break in to the house of an old man known for weird goings on in his house. The effects are gnarly, and the humor is twisted, even if the acting leaves much to be desired.
Finally, the short but sweet “Hack-in-the-Box” by Zane Herschberger involves a group of girls trying to slay a monster that resides in a box. Things obviously don’t go as they planned. The segment is only about five minutes, but it sports a neat monster and a spooky final scene. “10/31: Part III” is by no means as good as the previous two films, but its heart is definitely in the right place, as its festive spirit.
Plus I never tire of seeing Malvolia: The Queen of Screams.
You can grab a copy of this or the previous “10/31” movies at Scream Team Releasing.com in their “10/31” merch store.