By George & Josh Bate
Halloween, The Road, and Home Alone collide in a distinctly and atmospherically spooky season movie that, despite losing momentum in its third act and dragging with its pacing at times, breathes much needed fresh, autumnal air to this month’s horror offerings.
Hallowarrior takes place following the spreading of a deadly virus in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Halloween fanatic Pumpkin (Milly Shapiro) lives alone after the death of her family and plans to celebrate one final Halloween by herself before ending her life. But on Halloween night, a trio of mysterious individuals come to Pumpkin’s doorstep and threaten her chances of having a cozy, quiet holiday.
Hallowarrior stems from a clever premise that blends post-apocalyptic horror with home invasion thriller and drenches it all in quintessentially Halloween iconography and atmosphere. Most movies featuring rustling leaves, cool autumnal air, pumpkins, cornfields, costumes, and trick or treating exist in more grounded stories, such as slashers, but filmmaker Ben Sottak transplants the Halloween atmosphere a post-apocalyptic wasteland, in turn making a rather unique spooky season watch.
Although the world has long lost its governments, societies, and traditions, Pumpkin keeps her cherished holiday alive by decorating her family home, wearing a cute seasonal sweater, and leaving candy out for trick or treaters. Viewers who have an emotional connection to the Halloween holiday that goes beyond the average person will immediately attach to Pumpkin, who similarly assigns great emotional meaning to Halloween and, as such, treats it as far more than just an autumnal holiday that gives you permission to indulge in candy and chocolate.
Milly Shapiro, known for her breakout role in Hereditary, lends incredible warmth and tragedy to Pumpkin. Shapiro’s protagonist has lost everyone she cares about, leaving her utterly and devastatingly isolated. Despite the dangers it exposes her to, Pumpkin sends messages on a walkie-talkie urging anyone to visit and trick or treat at her home.
Pumpkin gets what she wishes for as a trio of suspicious individuals come to her door. After a sluggish start, Hallowarrior adopts much-needed energy and intrigue when these new characters enter the fray. It is not clear what exactly is off about these visitors nor what their true intentions are, but it is glaring apparent that something is off about them. Pumpkin seems to notice this too, to an extent, although her desperation to find connection and finally celebrate Halloween with other people again entails she overlooks warning signs and all manner of yellow flags.
It’s through this second act that Hallowarrior proves most gripping. The uncertainty surrounding the visitors’ motives and the immediate care Shapiro fosters from the audience in her character collectively create a tense middle stretch, made all the more seasonal by the Halloween decorations that adorn Pumpkin’s home.
The third act, meanwhile, unfolds like a horror and Halloween remix of Home Alone. Unfortunately, the film struggles to maintain the intensity that comes with a transition into its this genre, in turn losing momentum as it plods toward the credits. The film recovers somewhat come the end by punctuating its story on a rather moving note, yet this doesn’t entirely salvage a story that starts slow, picks up considerably, and then tapers off.
VERDICT: 6.5/10
Hallowarrior is a distinctly and atmospherically spooky season movie that blends post-apocalyptic horror with a home invasion thriller, drenched in quintessentially Milly Shapiro lends incredible warmth and tragedy to protagonist Pumpkin, whose emotional connection to Halloween and desperation to find connection create immediate audience care for and investment in her character. After a sluggish start, the film adopts much-needed energy and intrigue as the uncertainty surrounding the motives of the visitors to Pumpkin’s home creates a tense, gripping middle stretch, made all the more seasonal by the Halloween decorations that adorn Pumpkin’s home. The third act unfolds like a horror and Halloween remix of Home Alone, yet struggles to maintain the intensity that traditionally comes with the home invasion genre and loses momentum as it plods toward the end credits. Although the film recovers somewhat by punctuating its story on a rather moving note, it doesn’t entirely salvage a story that starts slow, picks up considerably, and then tapers off. Nonetheless, Hallowarrior deserves plaudits for breathing much-needed fresh, autumnal air into this month’s horror offerings.
Hallowarrior streams October 16 on Shudder.