The lighthearted horror comedy The Curse of Bridge Hollow, directed by Jeff Wadlow, boasts a compelling premise: mean-spirited teen Sydney (Priah Ferguson) tinkers with a Ouija board. , unknowingly unleash a demonic spirit and bring about atrocious situations. As per the town’s Halloween decorations. Her father, Howard (Marlon Wayans), is a high school science teacher and a staunch skeptic. When awakened skeletons, zombies and clowns terrorize the town, a rational father and a believable kid must team up and agree with each other along the way. And what seems like a perfect concept addendum is that the town is widely known for its Halloween decorations. “Everyone picks a theme and commits to it,” explains enthusiastic neighbor (Rob Riggle). His garden is decorated with zombies in honor of “The Walking Dead.”
The setup promises a hilarious escalation of comedic pandemonium, but the film fails to deliver. But it quickly devolves into tedious slogans of limp action clichés and irreverent irony. A good horror director, Wadlow seems stuck in a family-friendly context and struggles to build tension in the absence of a plausible threat of violence. (For a movie replete with fight and chase scenes, the body count is zero.) Creatures are generally dull and unoriginal, failing to take advantage of different stylistic embellishments, and the film’s ultimate evil spirits. The villain appears to have the spirit rigged from his Halloween discounts bin.
Curse of Bridge Hollow
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. watch on netflix.