Shudder Saturday: Night Of The Reaper (2025)

While I have enjoyed the previous movies from Brandon and Ryan Christensen, I tend to forget that I am fans of their work. That's why I wasn't aiming to watch Night Of The Reaper, a film that had a fairly generic title and was described as a slasher with an '80s vibe. I WILL eventually watch films described in that way, but I've been burned enough in recent years to make me wary of them. Then I started to see people mention a couple of details that piqued my interest. I won't mention them here, because this is best viewed without any spoilers, but there is a fun third act that more than makes up for some of the other flaws.

Jessica Clement plays Deena, a young woman who ends up babysitting young Max Arnold (Max Christensen), son of the local Sheriff, Rodney Arnold (Ryan Robbins). This wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances, but there have been some recent murders that put Deena on edge. And things get a lot worse when it becomes clear that she's being targeted by the killer.

Written by both Brandon and Ryan, and directed by Brandon, Night Of The Reaper is decent enough until it becomes a bit more than that in a fun finale. It's a shame that it feels a bit too tame and bloodless for the majority of the runtime, but a couple of decent moments near the end try to make up for that. This is more about making use of familiar slasher movie tropes (including, of course, the babysitter in peril, which is handled well in an enjoyably tense opening sequence) than it is about delivering loads of kills and carnage.

Clement is a decent young lead, and she works well in her scenes with her young onscreen charge. The two of them feel absolutely convincing in the babysitter/babysittee relationship depicted. Robbins also does well as the desperate Sheriff, Matty Finochio is a good fit for the role of Officer Butch Cassidy (yes, that is the name given to them), and Keegan Connor Tracy is a welcome addition in the role of Elizabeth Talbot. 

The emphasis is always on building things up (be it the tension, the suspect pool, or the obstacles placed en route to the expected climax), but the Christensens just about deliver enough pay-off to make it all worthwhile. I think they could still have gone a little further when finally leaning into the fun factor and bloodshed.

An enjoyable way to pass the time, and there's certainly a good dollop of spooky atmosphere throughout, Night Of The Reaper should do enough to keep horror fans happy. Those wanting something with that classic "old school" vibe, however, will probably still do best to simply (re)visit one of the many lesser slasher movie entries from the halcyon days of the sub-genre. 

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: Love Hard (2021)

Nina Dobrev plays Natalie Bauer, a young woman who writes a popular column about her disastrous dating life. Her luck looks set to change when she connects online with the handsome Tag (Darren Barnet). She's so smitten that she decides it will be a good idea to travel all the way to his home town and surprise him for Christmas. That's when she finds out that she's been catfished by Josh Lin (Jimmy O. Yang). Josh obviously didn't expect Natalie to meet him, certainly not yet anyway, and he's very different from the way he has portrayed himself in his photos. Maybe the two can help each other through the holidays though. Having Natalie as his girlfriend would help Josh look a bit better in front of his family during the holidays, and he knows enough about the real Tag to help Natalie get close to him, and maybe have the date she was so looking forward to. As comedy hijinks ensue, Natalie and Josh try to maintain their facade while being reminded of why they got on so well throughout their many text conversations.

A Christmas rom-com that actually does a great job of delivering both the romance and the comedy, Love Hard (the title coming from a difference of opinion over great Christmas movies) is a genuinely enjoyable bit of holiday cheer that combines everything you expect from a Christmas movie with some smart updates to the formula. This might be due to the fact that writers Daniel Mackey and Rebecca Ewing have very few credits to their name, which can sometimes be a major negative. Knowing the various story beats they want to hit, however, allows them to satisfy viewers seeking comfort while also having fun with a number of commonplace modern Christmas conversations (including the movie discussion, and how some people nowadays view the lyrics of "Baby, It's Cold Outside").

Director Hernan Jimenez keeps everything moving along nicely. Although not exactly swimming in baubles and hot chocolate, he works well with a script that nicely slots together the traditional Christmas movie elements (carol singing, time spent/stuck with a large family, etc) and the comedy. It's a film that doesn't need to spend much time outside the small town that Natalie visits and Jimenez doesn't try to awkwardly expand anything unnecessarily.

Dobrev is a cute lead, whether she's being adored by her main co-star or falling over in standard rom-com slapstick fashion. Yang is great fun, from the introduction that reveals his lie to a third act that forces both central characters to be more honest with themselves. Barnet is playing someone who isn't actually very interesting, and isn't actually the catch that some might think he is, and he does a good job, wandering through proceedings with an amusing lack of self-awareness. There are plenty of other enjoyable performances from everyone in a supporting role, but the obvious highlights are Matty Finochio, playing the wryly amused boss of Dobrev's character, and Harry Shum Jr., playing a sibling so awful that you just know he would be best friends with the character played by Adam Scott in Step Brothers.

It doesn't ever quite soar, despite coming close, but Love Hard absolutely does what it sets out to do. It's cute, it's quite clever in places, and it throws one or two attempted curveballs on the way to a comfortably predictable ending. An extra set-piece or two, some better use of the soundtrack choices, and maybe one more supporting character throwing a spanner in the works, and this could have been truly great. It's still good though, sometimes very good, and I wouldn't be surprised if some viewers consider it a new seasonal favourite.

7/10

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Window Wonderland (2013)

Sloan Van Doren and Jake Dooley are a couple of work rivals, window dressers who are given a shot at a promotion when the previous big name moves on. They are allowed to work on one window each, with the results being judged by their manager, Fitch, based on the reaction from onlookers, and how that translates into sales. Sloan and Jack have a love-hate relationship, of course, and Sloan also has issues dealing with her cold boyfriend, Kenneth, and trying to stop people from realising that her mother works as an attendant in the ladies room of the department store. At least both of our leads enjoy chatting to Mac, the man who keeps himself busy cleaning the exterior of the store.

Written by Tippi and Neal Doborofsky, a pair who have a number of TV movies under their belt, and directed by Michael M. Scott, who has a similarly extensive TV movie filmography, Window Wonderland is really enjoyable for those looking to enjoy the usual mix of drama, romance, and mild comedy that most Christmas TV movies provide. It's a simple premise, but used well, and the plot throws in a new development every 15-20 minutes to keep viewers on their toes. Not that any of them are hard to spot, especially if you have seen a handful of other movies like this, but they make the journey to the satisfyingly foreseeable ending all the more enjoyable.

Despite the solid work done in the writing and direction, however, a big part of the success of Window Wonderland lies with the cast. Chyler Leigh is a good female lead, her character being exasperated by her colleague, but also warming to him over time (of course). Paul Campbell gets to have a lot of fun in the role of Jake, and his mannerisms and dialogue reminded me of Joel McHale (who I nominate for the role if this is remade for a cinematic release in the next couple of years, which I know is VERY unlikely to happen). Naomi Judd is Rita, happy with her job, even if some others may be embarrassed by it, and Terence Kelly is the standard wise and sweet older character we always get in these movies. Matty Finochio and Cameron Mathison are both there to cause problems, the former being a manager who ensures that our leads know just how much is at stake and the latter a boyfriend who seems permanently focused on career and image.

While working towards what we all expect from a Christmas TV movie finale, something with romance, sweetness and some final revelations, Window Wonderland keeps everything bubbling away nicely. There are lots of little amusing lines, situations that create tension without ever feeling too dangerous or harmful for anyone involved, and plenty of Christmas spirit (with an important lesson about being yourself, and being happy in yourself). It's a delightful piece of work, and one of a number of these movies that have kept me smiling throughout the runtime this year. Maybe I've been finding better examples, just by chance, or maybe the constant barrage of bad news throughout 2020 has made me more receptive to the simple comforting effect of these movies.

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: Freaks (2018)

Although I like to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible, overall, I think there's something worth mentioning about Freaks that COULD seem very spoilery to those wanting to go into the movie completely blind. So stop reading now if that is you.

Right, everyone else gone?

Just me and anyone who has seen the film here? Or people who don't care about comparisons that may reveal the essence of the movie? Okay then, we can continue.

Freaks is the story of a young girl (Chloe, played by Lexy Kolker) who is being kept at home by her father (Emile Hirsch). The reasoning behind this isn't clear, but it seems that the father is just trying to protect his daughter. Or maybe he's protecting the world outside from his daughter. All is revealed as the plot unfolds, and that includes the revelation that some people in this cinematic world have dangerous powers, and there's an ice cream vendor (Bruce Dern) taking an interest in the life of Chloe, which means he may want to harm her, although he may equally want to help her.

Okay, that was a whole extra paragraph, at least, in between my warning and what may come as quite a big spoiler to anyone wanting to go into this film blind. So I am saying it now. Freaks is a better onscreen representation of the character of Phoenix than we've seen in any X-Men movie so far. It's all about a young girl growing to a stage in which her powers will start to show, which will endanger her and everyone around her. And she can become stronger when she lets her emotions build up and drive her actions.

If you like the sound of that then Freaks is for you. It's really well put together, from the co-directing and co-writing team of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, depicting a big vision onscreen while keep everything focused on one or two small locations. Lipovsky and Stein are smart in the way they illustrate many big brushstrokes just offscreen while they keep the camera pointed at areas they have layered with some lovely and detailed painting.

The cast all do very well in their roles, with Hirsch and Dern both playing to their strengths as two adults butting heads while they consider the best ways to help the young girl at the centre of everything. Hirsch alternates between being caring and being too heavy-handed in his protective approach, Dern is as cantankerous as usual, and both actors play the material ambiguously enough until the truth starts to be revealed. Kolker is pretty fantastic in the vital role of Chloe, starting off with a sense of innocence that keeps being worn away as she becomes more informed and angrier. Grace Park is an agent who serves as an obvious physical threat, and Amanda Crew is odd to watch, considering she's now old enough to be asked to play the "mother" role in these kinds of films (it still just seems like yesterday when she was the headstrong younger sister of Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Final Destination 3).

Freaks is very familiar stuff, but it's done so well. It is, essentially, a superhero-type tale without all of the usual trappings. You don't get the name recognition, you don't get the huge budget or set-pieces, and you don't even get the bombastic musical score (with no offence intended to Tim Wynn, I can't even recall much of the score already). What you get is a gripping story with some well-sketched characters and a satisfying third act that just keeps shifting the plot points nicely into place while adding more and more danger.

7/10

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