’10/31 Part 4′ Review
Stars: Jennifer Nangle, Jennifer Moriarty, Sayeed Bensalama, Cody J. Briscoe, Anastasia Elfman, Rich Gordon, Ken May, David McManus, Emily Tait | Written and Directed by Dustin Ferguson, Matthew McManus, Taylor McManus, Dylan R. Nix, Ryan Sheets
Having previously covered 10/31: Part II and 10/31: Part III here on Nerdly, it’s fair to say the 10/31 series has always been a mixed bag – ultra-low-budget Halloween anthologies that trade polish for enthusiasm. Now the fourth instalment arrives, once again serving up four shorts, a smattering of faux trailers and a returning horror host. As before, the wraparound material adds flavour but very little substance.
If Part II felt scrappy but spirited and Part III at least had moments of ambition, this latest entry – arriving some 3 years after the previous instalment and nine years after the original (hey, at least this franchise has legs!) is arguably the most nondescript of the lot.
The opener – a slasher riff that owes more than a little to The Video Dead – is easily the strongest segment. A cursed VHS unleashes a masked killer into the real world, and while the Jason-esque antagonist lacks originality, there’s at least a playful narrative idea at its core. For a short with limited runtime, the central trio are sketched just enough to feel like actual friends rather than disposable fodder, and the story toys with its concept in a way none of the other entries really attempt. It’s not especially gory, nor especially inventive, but it’s fun.
The second tale, centred on a grieving chocolatier poisoning his town in a bid for revenge, is a missed opportunity. Much of its runtime is spent in a static interview setup, telling rather than showing. When it finally pivots into a bizarre zombie-tinged finale, it feels abrupt and oddly disconnected from what came before. There’s a decent premise buried here, but the execution never matches it.
The third segment, about witches burned in the 1960s returning to torment social media influencers, suffers the most. Despite the presence of cult favourite Brinke Stevens, the murky day-for-night cinematography renders large stretches almost unwatchable. It’s one thing to embrace lo-fi aesthetics; it’s another to obscure the action entirely. Like some weaker moments in earlier entries, the idea isn’t terrible, but the handling sinks it.
Closing things out is a straightforward werewolf story from Ryan Sheets (Pumpkin Man). It’s barebones and predictable: man gets attacked, man transforms, people die, yet competently assembled given the budget. The creature effects are suitably rubbery, but serviceable. There’s just not much to it.
Overall, this fourth chapter feels like the most uneven of the series. Where previous instalments at least had one or two standout oddities, here only the opening short genuinely works, one segment squanders potential, one falters badly, and the finale simply coasts. For a franchise built on microbudget charm, this entry struggles to muster even that.
A below-average anthology in a series that’s proven it can do better.
** 2/5
10/31 Part 4 is available on digital platforms now.
