Scares and thrills go hand in hand with the horror genre and it’s to much surprise that a film documenting some of America’s scariest haunted house attractions has not been made earlier. Now, we get a fictional tale of 5 thrill seekers in search for the ultimate scare, and they might just get it.

 

Taking on the found footage format, ‘The Houses of Halloween’ is one of few films that make the most out of the genre. Often replacing jump out the box scares with unsettling leads to the next haunt patched together with the chilling appearance of a band of creeps who only encourage the group to continue on their journey until it is too late.

 

The film is a gift and a curse of its own making. On the one side you have a film that shows the culture of Halloween and horror in America, one that is rarely seen in such a grand and popular limelight. The number of carnies and gruesome houses decorated in terror, whether real or not, are a true sign the the genre is not just in film, but a culture.

 

The flip side is that this makes for a much better documentary. The chemistry between the cast is utterly believable and the usage of handheld cameras only boost the facade that this is a real life found footage film. Much of the scares come from the attractions themselves and while it cleverly sets up a chill down the spine, the film never amounts to much more.

 

A fade to black leaves an ambiguous ending, one that feels like a decision to how it should end was never agreed by the filmmakers. There are two endings that would play out well but the commitment to close on one of these appears to have gone towards something the film never inclines to be. The audience are lead to believe the series of events may lead to something sinister but as the film goes on, the events begin to question the morality behind Halloweens scariest haunt, something which blurs the line between haunt and death.