By Hunter Hoffmann ’21, Film Critic

With spooky season in full swing, I thought it would be the proper time to review some horror movies!

Hubie Halloween (2020)

Adam Sandler’s latest outing with Netflix sees him playing Hubie Dubois, the town misfit of Salem, Massachusetts. Every year on Halloween, Hubie patrols the town making sure the citizens of Salem are having fun while, most importantly for him, remaining safe. Because he is such a stickler for even the pettiest of rules every year, the police and the rest of the town have begun to disregard Hubie. As a result, when people in Salem begin to go missing, no one believes Hubie, so he must take matters into his own hands to find the missing townsfolk.

In the past, when movies starring Adam Sandler have come out on Netflix, many people dismissed them as low-effort cash grabs. However, since his starring role in 2019’s Uncut Gems, it seems as if Sandler has worked his way back into the favor of the public eye. Although it is far from perfect, Hubie Halloween gives fans ample chance to appreciate their reinvigorated, or newfound, fandom for Adam Sandler.

The humor in this movie includes the most basic forms of comedy one can find in any Adam Sandler movie (He even does his accent from The Waterboy). However, what Hubie Halloween has that other Sandler movies of recent years lack is a surprising amount of heart. Instead of our soup-loving protagonist having to learn from the people around him throughout the film, the other characters in the movie must learn to appreciate Hubie and finally realize his worth.

If you are a fan of Adam Sandler and want to turn your brain off for ninety minutes to a movie with a pleasing Halloween aesthetic, I would recommend Hubie Halloween.

Rating: 7/10

Quick Movie Reviews

The Invisible Man (1933)

One of the many early entries in Universal’s classic monsters catalogue, The Invisible Man, starring Claude Rains in his debut on the American big screen, depicts the story of scientist Jack Griffin who, after taking experimental drugs to turn himself invisible, is driven to insanity.

Based on H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name, The Invisible Man uses both impressive special effects (especially for 1933) and an interesting concept to craft a movie for those who enjoy the bizarre and outlandish in their viewings. One could attempt to pick this movie apart for a few minor plot conveniences, but overall, it provides a fun and unique experience for the viewer.

Rating: 8/10

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Starring the great Vincent Price, House on Haunted Hill sees five strangers mysteriously invited to a party by the wealthy Mr. Frederick Loren (played by Price) at a house which is notorious for murder. However, there’s a catch. If a guest can spend the entire night in the house, he or she will be awarded $10,000 by Mr. Loren.

At a brisk seventy-five minutes, this film carries a fun and self-aware attitude, never taking itself too seriously, and the plot does not stop moving, never allowing the viewer to get comfortable. What starts as a night of survival filled with ghosts and ghouls quickly evolves into a murder mystery story line. The ending of the movie is packed with fun practical effects, multiple plot twists, and the witty final line of the movie which, entertainingly enough, decides to break the fourth wall.

Rating: 8/10

Mom and Dad (2017)

In this horror-comedy starring Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage, a suburban community is hit by an odd epidemic which makes parents feel sudden impulses to murder their own children. This plot may seem far-fetched and slightly off-kilter, but it is used in a satirical and humorous manner to depict the repressed lives of suburban parents.

Although maybe not for all, this film brings a tone and aesthetic to the screen unlike any I have seen before. At its start, the audience is immediately aware of the hyperbolic depiction of the two main characters, fed up with their boring suburban lives which rarely consist of anything other than taking their kids to school and going to work. Director Brian Taylor uses this obscene plot of parents murdering their own children to satirize suburban life by using it as a device of symbolism for the parents finally breaking free and having something interesting happen in their lives.

Rating: 7/10