’10/31 Part III’ Review
Stars: Jennifer Nangle, James Morris, Emily Ashby, Derric Hyde, Rose Spencer, Taylor Rhoades, Yasmin Qudah, Brucellious Morris Jr., Justin P. Martin, Rosaria Eraso | Written by Michael Ballif, Jacob Perrett, Melissa Sapienza, Todd Martin, Zane Hershberger | Directed by Michael Ballif, Jacob Perrett, Brad Twigg, Zane Hershberger
It’s taken a few more years than expected but 10/31 Part III has finally arrived and it wastes no time getting down to business with several faux trailers that range from old-school Eurosleaze, “The Slaughter”, to “Night of the Halloweenies” a parody of Night of the Demons, zombies lay siege to a radio station in “Radio Tower Road” and a pair of slashers “Candy Killer” and my favourite, the 70s grindhouse styled “A Stranger’s Treat”.
As with the original and the first sequel, 10/31 Part III begins with Jennifer Nangle (Irrational Fear, Tales for the Campfire 3) appearing in her Malvolia persona and giving us an introduction to what we’re about to see.
The first segment “House of the Mummy” is the story of Wes (James Morris; They Live Inside Us, Curse of Crom: The Legend of Halloween) who’s trying to set up a Halloween scare attraction while dealing with his soon-to-be ex-wife Katelin (Emily Ashby; American Murderer, Night of Adventure) who is planning to take his house as part of the settlement. Finding a prop mummy in a thrift store seems to be a stroke of luck for him until the mummy turns out to be more than just a spooky decoration. Writer/director Michael Ballif (They Live Inside Us, The Witching Season) delivers an amusing if predictable, opening story with a few jumps and a bit of gore.
Next up is “The Locksmith” by Jacob Perrett (Creature in the Dark, Weird Fiction) is also about a couple and a house, except that Patrick (Derric Hyde; Spine Chiller, The Dead Sleep Soundly) and Christine (Rose Spencer; The Dead Sleep Soundly, Weird Fiction) are happily married and have just bought their home. Unfortunately, the house already has a black-gloved occupant (Taylor Rhoades; Creature in the Dark, Weird Fiction). This is a nice mini giallo with some well-done stalking scenes that pay off with equally well-done practical gore effects. One of which marks the first time I’ve seen a doorknob used as a murder weapon.
Segment three of 10/31 Part III “Old Man Gross” was directed by Brad Twigg (Wrestlemassacre, Killer Campout) from a script by Melissa Sapienza and Todd Martin (Shriekshow, Deathboard). Since the local theatre is playing the Evil Dead remake and not the original four bored idiots, Ryder (Yasmin Qudah; Zeke, Harvest of Horrors), Cody (Brucellious Morris Jr.; 5D Love, The Mountaineer), Dylan (Justin P. Martin; Shriekshow) and Tori (Rosaria Eraso; The Backpage, Adventure Capital) need something to do. They decide to break into Old Man Gross’ (DéRome A. Chretien; Lincoln, The Gateway) house and prank him. Do I really have to tell you how it turns out? This one does have some serious gore and a sadistic edge to it, but it’s also utterly predictable.
“Hack-in-the-Box”, the fourth, final, and shortest story, is from Zane Hershberger (Force to Fear, 10/31). It’s a vignette in the style of Full Moon’s Puppetmaster and Demonic Toys films about a box with a very evil Jack in it. It’s fun, fast, and has excellent creature effects. Malvolia makes a return appearance to cap things off and that’s it for 10/31 Part III.
While none of the segments are actually bad, there’s nothing in 10/31 Part III that’s mindblowing either. The segments mostly play it safe, sticking to more conventional plotlines and carrying them off efficiently. Unfortunately with the stories covering very similar ground, this installment really needed a couple of fresh ideas. The bloody practical effects and, as with the previous films, a great score by Rocky Gray (They See You, The Barn Part II) help make up for that, but while it’s still worth seeing, this could have been better.
*** 3/5
Terror Films will release 10/31 Part III to Digital Platforms on September 29th.
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