Film Review: Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011)

SYNOPSIS:

When Jenna asks her four hot girlfriends to help convert an old mansion into a Halloween Haunt, they decide to party instead! Things get steamy between the girls, until they accidentally unleash the half-pint, horrible Killer Eye, a perverse party crasher from beyond. Bent on having his way, the Killer Eye will stop at nothing until he gets exactly what he wants.

REVIEW:

Charles Band and his Full Moon Features have a habit of making unnecessary sequels. Did you know that there are ten Puppet Master films? How about seven Trancers movies? While those series began back in the lucrative ’80s and have carried on thanks to a shockingly dedicated fanbase, the company’s newer efforts are also being turned into franchises. Case in point, both Gingerdead Man and Evil Bong have three entries and counting under their belts. The latest in their long line of sequels is Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt. It’s the follow-up to 1999’s The Killer Eye, which is bad even by Full Moon standards.

My initial thought was that the prop must have been taking up too much space in a storage closet somewhere, as that’s the only logical way to justify the existence of this sequel. However, instead of the original’s giant eyeball from eighth dimension, the sequel employs a smaller eye. As a matter of fact, it’s none other than Full Moon’s Killer Eye replica toy. That’s right, Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt is essentially an hour-long infomercial to push the company’s products. Not only is the toy the antagonist, but the characters also spend the night watching the original The Killer Eye. Furthermore, they mention Evil Bong and have Gingerdead Man and Killjoy masks.

I actually give the film credit for taking place outside of the universe of the original. It very easily could have been a continuation of that boring story. Instead, the film focuses on five hot chicks – (Erica Rhodes), Giselle (Olivia Alexander), Rocky (Chelsea Edmundson), Catalina (Ariana Madix) and Kiana (Lauren Furs) – having a girls’ night that includes decorating a house for Halloween, drinking, shedding clothes and, naturally, The Killer Eye. The movie is undeniably campy, but it actually tries to be creepy. I say this relative to Full Moon’s typical schlock, as no one in their right mind would ever find this scary, but it has some genuine, albeit failed, attempts at atmosphere.

Those are the only compliments I can give to screenwriters August White and Kent Roudebush (whom recently collaborated on the script for Evil Bong 3). Without the credits, the movie runs for less than an hour and ends without any semblance of a conclusion. Based on the dialogue, it’s hard to believe that the writers have ever interacted with a real female. I understand that the movie was made with the horny, male audience in mind, but the characters’ lines and actions are eye roll-inducing even in a fantasy world.

It doesn’t do the script any favors by having the dialogue performed by p*rn-grade actresses. On the plus side, they are, of course, very easy on the eyes. Band himself helms this one, taking over the duties from David DeCoteau. Without DeCoteau, the homo-eroticism that ran rampant in the original is eliminated. (The girls even poke fun at this while watching the film.) In fact, there isn’t a male character in the film. True to its low budget, the movie is a mere five girls in a single location for the entire duration. There is still plenty of nudity, including gratuitous shower and lesbian scenes.

I admit that I ended up enjoying Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt more than I anticipated, even if for the wrong reasons, but I stand by my original assessment that the follow-up is entirely unnecessary. I know you love sequels, Charles Band, but at least focus your efforts on those that deserve it. Please, make another film with Stuart Gordon or let Ted Nicolaou do another Subspecies movie before the thought of a third Killer Eye flick crosses your mind.

Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011)