Haunt [2019] (5/5) – Movie Review

HAUNT is a new horror movie that takes place on Halloween. The movie was written and directed by the duo that came up with A Quiet Place and produced by Eli Roth. It’s also one of the very best haunted house movies in many years – perhaps ever. Read more in our full Haunt review here.

Haunt is a new horror movie being released on the first Friday the 13th of 2019. However, the storyline actually takes place on Halloween. Yes, this does sound like the wet dream of most horror fans. And rightfully so because Haunt is one hell of a treat!

While this new horror movie was made by the duo that came up with the story for A Quiet Place (more on them later), it was also produced by Eli Roth. Most horror fans will know that Eli Roth is one of the most active horror filmmakers right now.

The result of the above combination is a movie that is easily one of the very best haunted house movies ever. Hell, it might even be my personal favorite!

Read more in our spoiler-free Haunt review below.

Extreme haunted house on Halloween

Using the “a visit to a haunted house on Halloween goes awry”-plot is nothing new. However, the way it’s executed in Haunt makes it both relevant and also so much better than many of the movies before it.

Sure, we did have Hell Fest just last year, which was another good horror movie that featured a haunted house attraction. But still, Haunt is a much darker horror movie than Hell Fest could ever be. In many ways!

For one, once the characters in this movie go into the haunted house attraction, they will not be leaving easily. In fact, most of them won’t leave alive at all. I know, I know, I said this would be spoiler-free but the plot for Haunt is literally “The night turns deadly” so this cannot be a surprise to anyone.

Also, Eli Roth produced this movie and you know not everybody will survive in an Eli Roth movie. And this is exactly why Haunt is such a fascinating watch; all bets are off and nobody’s safety is guaranteed. Well, for almost nobody. It would be a damn shame to kill off the entire awesome cast of this horror movie.

The awesome cast and characters of Haunt

Besides having an actual intelligent and creepy storyline, Haunt truly excels by having awesome characters and the most brilliant cast attached. First, there are no stupid characters and nobody decides to “fend for themselves” by screwing over their friends. Instead, people do what they should when they want to survive; they stick together!

It’s one of the oldest horror movie tropes to pin characters against one another or simply let them split up. But nothing is easy in Haunt. Even the characters that may look stereotypical at first turn out to have both heart and smarts.

Finally, we have the bad guys. And the bad guys in Haunt are really bad. In fact, when they take off their masks you will want them to put their masks back on. Seeing who they are behind those masks does nothing to ease your fear.

Katie Stevens could be a new Horror Queen

Katie Stevens is the absolute star of Haunt as the main protagonist. I’ve been a fan of Katie Stevens since Faking It on MTV and it’s awesome that she’s continued with a starring role in the TV series The Bold Type.

However, horror fans will also become very familiar with her. She was in Polaroid which is in distribution purgatory but is finally getting released in strange ways. Basically, Katie Stevens has “Final Girl” written all over her while also being able to easily take on the memorable sidekick character as it’s the case with Polaroid.

Don’t miss: Our review of the horror movie Polaroid here >

Oh yeah, Katie Stevens could easily be a new Horror Queen. I, for one, am certainly ready to say “All hail the Queen” by the end of Haunt.

Of course, Stevens isn’t the only actor in Haunt and the rest of the cast is equally wonderful. Will Brittain may come across as a typical jock, but he is much more than that. Andrew Caldwell is more of a funny guy, but he clearly knows when not to joke. Points for him as well. Lauryn Alisa McClain, Schuyler Helford, and Shazi Raja round out the group of friends.

One of the best horror surprises of 2019

As mentioned earlier, Haunt is both written and directed by the filmmaker duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. They came up with the story from Haunt around the same time as A Quiet Place. In fact, the two movies were even greenlit at the same time. 

But while A Quiet Place was directed by John Krasinski – who also took part in writing the screenplay and starred in the movie –Scott Beck and Bryan Woods did it all for Haunt. And clearly, they know what they’re doing.

I was expecting Haunt to be an entertaining horror movie taking place in a haunted house attraction. And sure, I did get that. But I also got a movie that was so much better than I could have ever dreamt of. Everybody seems to really be having fun with this project in the sense that they want to surprise and give horror fans something to truly enjoy. Well, mission accomplished.

For me, Haunt is the perfect movie to watch on a Friday the 13th. Also, you will obviously be rewatching it for Halloween. Not just this year but for years to come. 

HAUNT is in Theaters, On Demand / Digital from September 13, 2019. From October 24 it will also be on Shudder.

Details

Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Writers: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Stars: Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn McClain, Andrew Caldwell, Shazi Raja, and Schuyler Helford

Plot

On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an “extreme” haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some monsters are real.