Halloweed (2016) User Reviews

Decent pass at a 80s horror spoof with a couple of glaring flaws

[joeycanto · 5/10 · 12 December 2016]

I went into this film thinking it was a horror film mainly because of the poster which is misleading and a very poor choice for this type of film. Real horror fans will not like this film. This is a Halloween comedic horror spoof film, like something from the 80s which is actually pretty cool. There are definitely some issues with this movie but I'm gonna start with the positives. The writing seems solid, although I don't know that the director properly executed it. Some of the jokes really land and some seem a bit dated. The editor didn't do the script any favors either, some of the scenes seem rushed and others seem to drag on and the opening animation is way too long.

The cast, for the most part, is the highlight of this film. The story follows the two leads, half brothers Trent and Joey. The main lead (Shannon Brown) is a sad, kinda pathetic everyday regular type of guy, Trent, who just can't seem to catch a break. Brown has emerged over the last couple of years, this is actually the 4th film that I've seen him in. There is a genuine, honest and raw component to his acting, which is very appealing. I've seen him play a variety of different characters in other projects, he's certainly someone to keep an eye on. With that said, I think he would have been smart to pass on this one. His comedic timing is certainly sharp and he does a fine job of carrying the film, but I don't think his character was really all that challenging, especially compared to other roles I've seen him nail in the past. The other lead, Joey, is Trent's half wit, half brother played by Simon Rex. It has been quite a while since I've seen Rex in a film and it was worth the wait. This role was perfect for him and he really did a bang up job of bringing his character to life in a unique twisted way. The penis jokes, closet homosexual humor and overall goofball antics were embraced and flawlessly executed by Rex. The chemistry between the two brothers as leads was definitely on point, it was the highlight of the entire movie. I look forward to seeing both of these guys in their upcoming work.

The supporting cast was strong, very strong for the most part. My main reason for picking up this film is my obsession with the genius that is Ray Wise. I've seen everything he's ever done and was not about to make this film the exception. Although I wish his role was bigger, Mr. Wise was great to no one's surprise I'm sure.

The casting director really hit a home run on this one, the leads were great and so was the supporting cast, for the most part. Tom Sizemore, Jason Mewes, Wise, Jim O'Heir, Robert Craighead were all perfectly cast. Even Danny Trejo was great, although it seems like he is in every indie film out right now. I don't know if he owes some money or if his agent has incriminating black mail junk on him, but the poor guy has to learn the phrase "No thanks, I'll pass". The two hapless cops played by Lester Speight and Deja Dee were fantastic, perhaps my favorites among this strong supporting cast.

Unfortunately there were a couple of "wtf happened here" moments regarding the supporting cast. Connor, played by Jason Bernard, is just bad. Imagine if E did a "Where are they now" on a Ken doll 30 years later and those 30 years were not kind at all. An overweight, plastic looking blob, with a horrible dye job that sounds like he is talking with a mouth full of marbles. I was a bit perplexed by this mis step by an otherwise brilliant casting director. So I did a little digging on IMDb and figured it out rather quickly. Bernard is the owner of the production company responsible for this film, so he clearly just cast himself in this role and the director and casting director had no choice. Digging a little more I noticed his "known for" on IMDb, a crappy webseries, Family Values, that appears to have been shot on a VHS camcorder. Another self funded project by his production company, JR productions. This misfortune of a project also stars his friend, Michelle Mueller who just happens to play the hero's love interest in Halloweed. Then it all clicked, we've seen this tactic before. Bernard is attempting to buy an acting resume for him and his friend, Mueller, as both of their resumes consist of self funded garbage. This has been tried many, many times before and it never, ever works. When we see these two on screen we are instantly taken out of the story and the film goes off the rails. Mueller is simply not attractive enough to play the lead's love interest that allegedly motivates him to move to a whole new town. Although her acting is not nearly as horrible as Bernard's, it's still not strong enough to compensate for her run of the mill, bland look. Normally I would never be so shallow in my criticism, but the type of genre of film that Halloweed represents requires a little more eye candy, especially if the actress is playing your hero's love interest. You are not doing yourself a favor as a producer and funder when you force yourself and your underwhelming friend into the supporting cast of your own movie, a great way to burn a few hundred thousand. Sorry for the rant, but that type of crap drives me nuts, it's a slap in the face to real, hardworking talented actors and filmmakers.

Halloweed would have greatly benefited from a more experienced comedic director/post team, as well as a producer that wasn't trying to buy an acting career for himself and his friend.

Halloweed: Love or Hate - It's a Whole Bunch of Things

[pdlussier1 · 4/10 · 6 February 2017]

A film marketed as a comedy by putting so much focus on its pot-headedness usually screams out the type of audience it targets: most teens and perpetual adolescents, spilling out to include the non-artistically-driven permanent potheads. This one's no exception, while it also tries to rope in none-of-the-above slasher fans who've come to accept that comedy is as agreeable as blood to the genre, it's attitude and the kills that define a slasher. So, that title, "Halloweed", and the cover art… Thinking "Halloween" spoof is normal, just dead wrong.

If you're part of the first group: It's set up to please from the get go; just a question of taste whether or not you love it.

For the potheads: Depends on what you're smoking, I suppose, but know that pot is hardly a part of the story the marketing leads on. You won't find Cheech or Chong.

If you're in the last group: Nothing to satisfy you here; nothing matching the intelligence of "Behind the mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" or the slapstick silliness of "Tucker & Dale vs Evil" though it does match its crassness and actually has a musically-denoted Benny Hill moment. Murder is part of the story, and it's handled in classic slasher fashion, this time sporting a baby-head mask, but the scenes are few and killing is just one of those things, like too many, that float in the background but never really seem to be a part of the plot, much like a "Scary Movie" spoof but, again, not.

No 80s nostalgia here, itself refreshing, and yet I was reminded of 80s fare by the generically unsophisticated absurd-is-normal plot developments, tropes, and resolution that were a hallmark of that period, right down to the caricatured baddies and the foul elderly semi- sidekick. If you were around, you'll know what I mean.

The first ten seconds past the titles establishes the vulgar humour to come, and, certainly, the mindless jokes are there and even set the pace for much of the first third but, surprisingly, never delves close to the level of gross or childish one would expect, minus one anal-cavity search. Thankfully, it manages to rise above and out of the toilet crassness after a while, offering a more pleasant level of humour that arises out of the whole rather than isolated jokes, but which never really hits the gut for anyone hoping for mature humour. Nonetheless, you're starting to care.. And that's when it strikes you: it's more enjoyable because it focuses primarily on Shannon Brown's more sympathetic Trent Modine and it's been a while since the juvenile pot- & penis-obsessed Joey (played by Simon Rex) was on screen. A rewrite that excludes this character would be easy but I'm certain fans will disagree, for, after all, there's no "teen" or "pothead" humour without him.

There's also a meta attempt that weakly rears its head at times but is so unbalanced and flat it stands out as lazy writing that adds nothing.

From what I've mentioned you may have deduced its biggest problem: It's highly uneven. In tone, in comedic approach, in structure, in focus, techniques, sound integration, and the plot is a patchwork of divergent elements with minimal significance to the running narrative or interwoven conflicts that never peak to any importance. The bigger-name stars have no real screen significance, cast simply in minor roles that don't, arguably, qualify as cameos. And pot or Halloween are hardly prominent, same for the gang/turf-war aspect or the slasher element or the serial-killer-dad past or the mayoral race or the love hurdle or… and are brothers brothers or the bad guys such bad guys once you get to know them?

Surprisingly, it all comes together; things happen and life is composed of a whole bunch of elements, some that matter more than others, sometimes not… such is life. In that sense, I honestly see no wrong with the story's direction as it is consistent throughout, often avoiding the expected in the process.

However, albeit the palatable layer that emerges, it fails to satisfy fully since, through the fog of sporadic variation it thinly coats or lumps over it, it's all too clear, title & marketing included, that the makers were more focused on trying to please as many as possible, not trying to tell a good story in a unique way. An art-house exploration of "spoof" this ain't!

That said, any reviews preaching either extreme says more about the reviewer than the film. Where in the spectrum of mediocrity you place it is up to you.

Toke 'em if you got 'em

[jackmeat · 5/10 · 19 October 2016]

My quick rating - 4,5/10. I cannot believe it took this long for this title to be used for a movie. Anyway, 2 stoners leave town and move so the main lead (name doesn't matter, you will never see him again) can escape living in the shadow of his serial killer father after his execution. The bright notion is after viewing an infomercial about the loneliest place around, they decide to move there. There is a romantic angle, and a mysterious killer on the loose as well to attempt a plot. The movie is much more comedy and never really bothers to focus on the murders. There is much saving to earn any points and this is easily done by the friend in the movie who is completely hilarious in his effort to convince people he is not gay. It is worth watching strictly for that and is the only reason I am keeping it. Oh, did I mention that these two morons have to mainline pot to survive? And the town they move to happens to survive by living on weed as well. The entire town seem to be potheads conveniently. Grab your 5 footer and toke up, I would assume the movie will be damn funny if you are high.

We did it, everyone. We found the bottom of the barrel.

[longview-77631 · 1/10 · 28 January 2020]

I've taken a full day to absorb the experience of watching "Halloweed", a horror comedy from 2016 starring Shannon Brown and Simon Rex. I think I'm ready to talk about it, and why it might be the worst thing ever.

As much as the flick has a story, here it is. Brown plays the son of a recently executed serial killer. Rex plays his self-hating closet gay stoner half brother. They decide to move to a small town with a history of murder mysteries so they can... I don't know. Escape the family notoriety? It's not clear. Anyway, killings start as soon as they arrive, so Brown tries to solve the mystery while Rex sells weed with Jason Mewes. There's a hot chick and a smug rich guy too, because of course there is.

Now let's talk about the acting. Brown is completely forgettable, which isn't the worst thing by "Halloweed"'s standards. Rex arrives packing the complete set of 1992's best gay jokes and way too much energy for a stoner role, and he never deviates from either. Michelle Mueller looks the part of the hottie, and her character's reason for existing is to wear something low cut and say "Really?" to the male characters while rolling her eyes and being irritable. I'm not sure she even had to act. The basic competence of Ray Wise, Tom Sizemore, and even Mewes is jarring by comparison to the rest of the cast.

Poor direction, cinematography, sound, and editing also take some blame in this disaster. There are pointless scenes that either go nowhere or introduce threads that aren't referenced again. The one truly hilarious scene in the movie is not intentionally funny: it's when they accidentally show half the face of the heretofore masked killer. A bunch of people- director, editor, producer- watched that cut of that scene and left it in. Absolutely incredible. It's not even toward the end.

At this point with a real train wreck, I like to see if it makes an effort to become bad in a truly unique way. Something memorable. Otherwise, why waste the words on it? Luckily for us, "Halloweed" has us covered with a pair of "Dude, no" scenes. First, a character has a room in his house that's clearly dedicated to sex crimes, and after a couple jokes about it, Brown and Rex shrug and go on living with the guy. Then, at the end, the dying character's main regret is that the hot chick wasn't hot enough to turn his gay son straight. The son agrees that that is the case and it's a bummer. The most offensive thing about "Halloweed" isn't the homophobia, the line-crossing, the fratboyism. You can do all that and still make a great comedy. The most offensive thing about "Halloweed" is that it was packed with all those traits without even trying to be clever or outrageous enough to make them funny. So, for right now, on 1/28/20, I'm calling this the worst movie I've ever seen.

Horrible

[brooke2323 · 1/10 · 19 October 2016]

I wish I could tell you what the worst part of this movie was but it's really hard to pick. The movie had nothing to do with weed, they smoked once. Also had nothing to do with Halloween. There were one liner jokes that just didn't land. The production was horrible, lots of shadows from jibs, microphones, half the movie isn't in focus, crew members in backgrounds, continuity was horrible!! Lighting and cameras didn't match in scenes, lots of blown out lighting. The music was like something you'd hear in a cartoon. There was cgi for no reason like a fire pit? Why not have a real fire?? There's literally no story to this. Scenes would happen that made no sense as to why they happened.

It just wasn't funny, it was like a bunch of high school kids made a movie for their friends to laugh at.

Halloweed - gone to pot

[drdeathforpresident · 1/10 · 7 December 2016]

duped by the critics and their inflated glowing critiques I was again roped in and wasted 3.99 on this waste of celluloid. This film killed it and I mean the actors involved; their careers are flushed down the cinematic commode; it's back to waiting tables. High points: The clever title and poster. Low points: the whole movie. There's an old man in his ball huggers doing a bong load, there's Tom Sizemore acting over the top as a serial killer getting juiced in the electric chair, there's Simon Rex trying to blow a truck driver and the lead actor has the personality and the acting chops of a crushed snail. How did this piece of turd get the green light?

Why?

[vm04k · 2/10 · 19 October 2021]

I like to give indie films a lot of credit because its not easy to get a film completed. But wow. I have no idea what I watched. It took me multiple attempts to get through the whole thing. From a technical standpoint this was a big swing and a miss. The acting was so painful that not a single joke landed. This was a plot that could have been a big hit in the early 2000's with a much stronger script and a better team. I wish I wasn't sucked in by the title of the movie, it's the only element that works.

Cheap and juvenile

[guskeller · 2/10 · 17 October 2021]

Halloweed is difficult to review because it's bad in so many ways. The cheap production value is the most noticeable detriment. The sets, props, and wardrobe look like they were slapped together for a student film. Meanwhile, the juvenile script is a close runner-up. The core idea of a stoner-slasher movie is fun, but the actual execution is embarrassing. The dialogue is stupid, the story is obvious, and the jokes are for fourteen-year-olds. On top of that, entire scenes serve no purpose beyond failed humor and padding the runtime. Lastly, there isn't enough characterization of our main protagonist. He is meant to be a relatable everyman but he is a bland, blank slate.

The acting is painfully bad as well. Much of that can be blamed on the material, but there are definitely stuttered lines and awkward pornstars. Plus, there are several technical issues like shots cutting off the tops of characters' heads, washed out lighting, tacky sound effects, and distracting musical covers. All in all, Halloweed is such a symphony of cinematic shortcomings that it's actually kind of impressive. However, that isn't an endorsement. There are better funny-bad movies to laugh at.

Writing: 1/10 Direction: 1/10 Cinematography: 1/10 Acting: 1/10 Editing: 3/10 Sound: 3/10 Score/Soundtrack: 2/10 Production Design: 1/10 Casting: 2/10 Effects: 1/10

Overall Score: 1.6/10.

Funny spoof of a horror film with a charming cast

[djbugsle · 8/10 · 29 October 2016]

This movie was exactly what I thought it would be and that's a good thing. A perfect mix of humor, suspense and a nice compliment of blood and weed. The movie starts out with a pair of lovable, down on their luck brothers dealing with their infamous father, played by the always wild and entertaining Tom Sizemore. The main lead, Trent Modine(played wonderfully by Shannon Brown), and his half brother, Joey(played by the raunchy yet hilarious Simon Rex) decide to move to the small town of Mooseheart to start a new life. This is when the story takes off and the roller coaster begins. As we follow Trent through the story he encounters some of the wildest characters you'll ever want to meet. The film is great for exactly what it is, a light hearted horror spoof. The cast is the highlight of this film. Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, Simon Rex, Ray Wise, Jason Mewes are all brilliantly cast for their respective roles led by Shannon Brown who carries the lead perfectly as the angst ridden, down on his luck ordinary guy that is surrounded by chaos and over the top characters. The chemistry between Trent and Joey and Trent and Madison is genuinely strong. The writing works well and the cinematography is spot on. I had a blast watching this and I'm sure you will too!

That was my first day in the Boy Scouts

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 15 September 2017]

The film opens with a bang as we watch The Bridgewater Killer (Ted Sizemore) get a cameo role in an electric chair. In the festive audience is his son Trent (Shannon Brown) and Trent's step brother Joey (Simon Rex). The later provides us with a butt load of homosexual humor. The killer requests that his son Trent carry on his tradition and avenge his death.

Trent and Joey, two potheads, want to get away from it all so they travel to Mooseheart, a small town. Here Joey ends up selling pot and we meet Danny Trejo. In spite of the "B" star power, the script fell off a cliff as it tried too hard to be funny. The finger waving deputy (Deja Dee) wasn't funny the first time, yet they kept up with what is most kindly described as juvenile humor. Killings start in town with the arrival of the son of a serial killer. Story telling time was funny. We don't hear the stories, but we just see the hand gestures and can imagine them.

The Amazon description is incorrect. Trent is NOT the son of the Candy Corn Killer who was never caught.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Jacqui Holland)

Hilarious!!!

[Suzie_Canes · 9/10 · 24 October 2016]

First, my favorite characters were Tom Sizemore (wish he was in more scenes), Trent and the cowboy landlord. These guys were hilarious and had me laughing the entire movie.

I was also excited to see Danny Trejo! Patch had the weed and the power.

The plot is simple, find out who is the Candy Corn Killer. Lots of twists along the way... So sit back and enjoy the ride!

I highly recommend watching this film with a bunch of friends... we had a blast! I bought the HD version on Comcast, it was only $2 more than the rental price. Great deal!

Exceeded admittedly low expectations

[gressman07 · 7/10 · 21 October 2021]

Heard of this for years, only now getting to for Halloween 2021. Intro animation aside, I found myself enjoying uh, whatever brand of humor this is (I guess a stoner comedy). Admittedly I am sure it helps to uh, partake of such activities while viewing.

I start all movies at 5 and raise or lower from there. Not expecting much, this went to 7 for me, obviously on a sort of graded scale for Halloween flicks. The stoner comedy works on its own, feels like a throwback to early 2000 flicks of that time. Honestly I was enjoying it for that alone, was surprised at the admittedly quite late (like 1/2 in) introduction of the Baby Face Killer stuff, which was just icing on the cake.

Dope film, literally!

[ddawwg · 9/10 · 29 October 2016]

If you are one for a raunchy, goofy comedic adventure then this film will sit with you very well. With that being said, this isn't a movie striving to be nominated for an academy award in any sense of the term and therefore it shouldn't be treated that way, rather it's perfect if you are in the mood for many late night laughs with your buddies, toked up or sober. The blend of the personalities behind Trent and Joey drive the movies comedic value considering the fact that they're polar opposites for the most part, but at times are the same person making the audience love their bond that much more. Both Shannon Brown and Simon Rex do a great job of fulfilling their individual roles. I've seen Brown play some pretty intense roles in the past, this role was quite the departure from those, but he was still great carrying the lead role, Trent. The other lead, Simon Rex, played a character that he's probably used to playing, although probably not a stretch for him, he still absolutely delivered a strong performance. Most of the supporting cast is good, a nice balance of witty and sane characters throughout the plot. Lloyd, played by Robert Craighead, really stood out from all the other supporting players, he was a riot. The plot is kind of hard to follow during the first part of the movie, but as the film nears its ending it gradually clears up more and more which is one of my few and minor complaints about this film as a comedy. Overall, the film does a great job of doing what I believe it aimed to accomplish.

Halloweed will have you howling in laughter.

[dcphotoandvideo · 9/10 · 24 October 2016]

So I just finished watching Halloweed on iTunes. OMG I never laughed so hard. All of the characters in this film are so outrageous. Then you have the main character of Trent Modine, played by Shannon Brown. Talk about funny. This poor guy gets into situations because of the others, and he is hilarious. I mean he is just a normal guy getting thrown into extraordinary circumstances and he nails it. You feel bad for his character but you also are laughing so hard you want to see more.

I'm not the biggest Simon Rex fan, but him and Shannon Brown play really well off each other as brothers, they are hilarious together. Also the Lloyd character, played by Robert Craighead, is a riot, you have to see it to understand, I can't put it into words. I am a fan of Tom Sizemore and he is perfect as our hero's father.

Shannon Brown is a true talent, I've seen him play all kinds of different roles so I was anxious to see him in a film like this and he did not disappoint.

I like films that don't try to be something they're not and Halloweed totally embraces the silly, over the top insanity that it seems like it was meant to be. The only thing stopping me from giving it a 10 is that a couple of the scenes seemed like they were cut too short before the joke landed and some of the props were a little amateurish.

See this movie if you want a good laugh. And for my friends in Colorado, indulge in the movies name sake and then watch it. You will have such an awesome time.

A New Cult Classic?

[sandygulliver · 10/10 · 10 November 2016]

If you are looking for light-hearted comedy to take your minds off of they day you just had, then you'll like this movie. It is good quality, good acting, and even a plot. And to tell you the truth, they had me at the end. I did not know until then 'who done it'.

I can see this film playing in the background of Halloween parties for years to come. It's one of those where you can glance at the screen every so often and exclaim "Watch this part...this is so funny!" or "Watch this part...this is really gross!" or "Watch this part...she is really hot!"

All in all, a cute quirky movie, and I recommend it.

Love!

[shewulf121 · 10/10 · 22 October 2016]

This movie was hilarious. The lead, Shannon Brown, made it all the funnier. I hope to be buying it to add to my comedy collection!!! It was full of some of my favorite actors, adding Danny and Rex to the cast was genius. Tom Sizemore, he's had it rough the past few years, still amazing. I love a good comedy and mixing it with the Supernatural makes it all the more appealing to viewers that love the genre. Definitely worth watching a second time. Maybe even a third. Is the movie just FULL with weed smoking, nope, but then there are plenty of other reasons to watch this movie besides all the tokin n smokin! A sexy cast and funny story line make it all worth it!

A Must Watch

[apv-55121 · 10/10 · 24 October 2016]

I give this film 10 out of 10. I recently watched this film, and I loved it. The cinematography and acting was great. Let's think back to other independent films that we have seen recently or in the past. What is always missing is the quality of the product and believable actors/acting. This film had both. Not only that, the film was genuinely funny and made me laugh. The humor and the story made sense, and correlated quite well. There was great chemistry between the members of the cast. When you stand this film up against most other independent films, it is top of its class. Amazing job and well put together.

Good watch

[tashgreen-73804 · 8/10 · 30 April 2021]

Funny and spooky, a good storyline. Glad I took the chance to watch.