PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Are you a fan of horror films based around Halloween? How about supernatural films? If your answer is yes, then you may be interested in Luke Jaden’s film, Boo! Check out the trailer below!
https://youtu.be/5neKJYLeCFw
Boo! was directed by Luke Jaden (Dark, Deadly, and Dreadful) and written by Luke Jaden and Diane Michelle (Goodnight). Starring Rob Zabrecky (A Ghost Story 2017 – read our review here) as James, Jill Marie Jones (Sleepy Hollow TV series) as Elyse, Aurora Perrineau (Truth or Dare) as Morgan and Jaden Piner (Moonlight) as Caleb.
Plot synopsis:
On Halloween day a dysfunctional family of four receive a knock at the door. When the father, James (Zabrecky), answers the door no one is there but sitting on the porch is a paper bag that says Boo! on it with a letter saying ‘You have been Booed!’ It is a chain letter saying the family must pass this on to the next house our they will be cursed. The very religious father doesn’t heed the warning and lights the letter on fire, freaking out his son, Caleb (Piner), who says the curse is real. As the day progresses into night, the family start experiencing visions that could be described as supernatural and they all start wondering if the curse is actually real.
I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of most modern day supernatural films, but Boo! had my attention from the very beginning. This will be a spoiler free review, so I won’t go into any key moments of the plot, but all in all, I enjoyed this film. The acting from all four family members was very believable, and their chemistry together had me believing this was a group that struggled with issues brought on by their pasts, which we see later on in the film. There’s enough screen time between them all that you feel for them as they go through this event.
The supernatural element of Boo! really worked for me. There weren’t too many jump scares, though the few that were there were fairly predictable. What really worked for me were the nightmarish visions that each family member experienced. They gave me a feeling of dread and helped build up the tension. However, the suspense really was up until the last fifteen minutes, and then everything ramped up.
Another thing I want to mention is that I live in Michigan, so to see a film that takes place in Detroit made me happy. To see locations like The Fox Theater and The Marble Bar in a horror film was really awesome! We also get some amazing shots of the city at night. Setting the film in the suburbs of Detroit fit well with the story, but at the same time, there wasn’t any particular reason it had to be set there. Boo! could have worked in any suburb, and it wouldn’t have made an impact on the film. I also need to mention the score by composer Jon Natchez (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore). It was a beautiful synth-score and just helped ramp up the tension even more.
All in all, Boo! was a enjoyable film, even if it did drag a little bit near the middle of the second act. It was well shot, well acted, and delivered on the scares. You don’t have to be a fan of the supernatural horror films to enjoy this one. I recommend you give it a watch.
Boo! is available now on VOD right here.
