SPOOKTOBER chapter 5:
A Horror set on Halloween
This is one of them dusty, lonely titles on my watchlist, added to it near a decade ago or so, mostly because of the plot taking place on Halloween night. I went in expecting very little, keeping in mind that it's a feature debut for Anthony C. Ferrante, who goes on to helm the entire Sharknado franchise 8 years later, along with some other shabby titles I don't dare to venture about. I did reasonably enjoy Sharknado run though, have to admit.
Four college students, most of whom are looking for a good thrill on the unholy night, decide to pay a visit to an abandoned, rundown hospital, which might just be haunted by the patients gone long ago in a fire. Meanwhile, a... guy is looking for his sister who went lurking around the same hospital days ago and never returned, and he is paired up with his policeman friend who is also a veteran Blaxploitation action movie star. Interesting, but the characters go nowhere for most part, bland and shallow and often not acted too well.
The unwitting flock wanders the grounds of the hospital - which is one of the couple decent elements of "Boo", props to the location scouts, because the halls and the rooms were damp, desolate and grimy, and would've been highly efficient in a movie orchestrated by better hands. The pacing grows more tedious, as the film continues to throw cheap scare tactics, dry dialogue, barely engaging story, and real cheap acting, lighting and digital FX in your face in a repetitive manner. To not be so harsh, there were cool couple moments where the practical FX team was given a chance instead.
It all culminates in a climax that frankly is extremely hard to care about and might be the worst act of the whole "Boo" Boo flick. And, once again, another horror set on Halloween that has practically zero of that seasonal spirit. It gets the mark it has only because I'll give "Boo" this - there was enough going on at all times, however ineffective that turned out to be. Can't recommend this one, go get scared elsewhere. My rating: 3/10.
This is one of them dusty, lonely titles on my watchlist, added to it near a decade ago or so, mostly because of the plot taking place on Halloween night. I went in expecting very little, keeping in mind that it's a feature debut for Anthony C. Ferrante, who goes on to helm the entire Sharknado franchise 8 years later, along with some other shabby titles I don't dare to venture about. I did reasonably enjoy Sharknado run though, have to admit.
Four college students, most of whom are looking for a good thrill on the unholy night, decide to pay a visit to an abandoned, rundown hospital, which might just be haunted by the patients gone long ago in a fire. Meanwhile, a... guy is looking for his sister who went lurking around the same hospital days ago and never returned, and he is paired up with his policeman friend who is also a veteran Blaxploitation action movie star. Interesting, but the characters go nowhere for most part, bland and shallow and often not acted too well.
The unwitting flock wanders the grounds of the hospital - which is one of the couple decent elements of "Boo", props to the location scouts, because the halls and the rooms were damp, desolate and grimy, and would've been highly efficient in a movie orchestrated by better hands. The pacing grows more tedious, as the film continues to throw cheap scare tactics, dry dialogue, barely engaging story, and real cheap acting, lighting and digital FX in your face in a repetitive manner. To not be so harsh, there were cool couple moments where the practical FX team was given a chance instead.
It all culminates in a climax that frankly is extremely hard to care about and might be the worst act of the whole "Boo" Boo flick. And, once again, another horror set on Halloween that has practically zero of that seasonal spirit. It gets the mark it has only because I'll give "Boo" this - there was enough going on at all times, however ineffective that turned out to be. Can't recommend this one, go get scared elsewhere. My rating: 3/10.