I wasn’t expecting to like “Scarezone.” I didn’t go in to it wanting to hate it, but I was not looking for anything resembling something watchable, either. In the end, “Scarezone” surprises as a solid horror effort that mixes comedy, horror, and a slasher whodunit in to a charming indie genre installment. It’s also nice to see an indie film take a horror attraction and use it to the advantage of the film to induce suspense and tension. “Scarezone” has its faults, but I’d definitely recommend it for experimental fans that appreciate films like “Popcorn,” and “Scream.”
Filmed at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights on the “Body Collectors” set, director Jon Binkowski sets his entire film in and around the attraction. Oliver is a frantic horror geek who has hired a dysfunctional and eccentric cast of aspiring actors to perform for the Halloween event. Simon Needham is hilarious as the owner of the event whose own rabid love for horror and theatrics is a consistent source of laughter, especially when dealing with performers that don’t want to be there. The group is preparing through the month of October to meet the big Halloween rush, and things don’t exactly turn out as they planned.
There are the event’s rabid fan boys that pride themselves in knowing the mechanics of the sights, the bold customers that mock the attempts to scare customers, and someone is suddenly murdering the performers. For some reason the cast begin turning up dead as someone has either taken the haunted house too seriously, or has a vendetta against one of the cast members. Truth be told, while the slasher portions work in their own right, it felt rather superfluous at times. I could have watched a Halloween themed dramedy about performers preparing a haunted house event, and not missed the slasher portion. Granted director Binkowski does know how to dole out some fun slasher moments.
This includes a brutal stabbing that customers confuse for a prank, and a vicious clubbing on the head, but the cast pulls off their roles so well the slasher element felt tacked on. Simon Needham steals the show as Oliver, while Neil Brown Jr. (one of the best elements of “The Walking Dead” Season One) as Spider really has a blast in his role as the host of the attraction. I also really wanted to see more of the relationship between Daryl, and the moody Goth make up artist Claire. Ariana Ash is a great final girl who pulls off the vulnerable but courageous character without fail. That said, “Scarezone” is rough around the edges, but it’s fun, well acted, and offers decent slasher movie fodder. I’m not sure what the final scene indicated, if anything, but I was entertained the whole way through. I hope we can see more from Jon Binkowski in the future.