THE CURSE OF BRIDGE HOLLOW (NETFLIX) (2022)

SYNOPSIS: A father (Marlon Wayans) and his teenage daughter (Priah Ferguson) are forced to team up and save their town after an ancient and mischievous spirit causes Halloween decorations to come to life and wreak havoc. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) replaces Adam Sandler for this year Netflix Halloween movie. As expected, it’s a non-scare fest which is tailored made for the entire family and runs efficiently at just 91 minutes.

Being offered a teaching post at Bridge Hollow, Howard has to relocate from Brooklyn together with his wife, Emily (Kelly Rowland) and teenage daughter, Sydney (Priah Ferguson). While Howard is not a big fan of Halloween, the townfolks are crazy about it. Thus when Howard and Sydney accidentally unleashed an ancient curse resulting in the Halloween decorations coming to life, the duo must reluctantly find a way to stop the curse or risk the lives of the townfolks and Emily.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow comes very close to Goosebumps and Goosebumps 2 in terms of execution. It’s largely an inconsequential comedy with some horror elements thrown in. Most of the danger and spook are done via CGI which to be fair is very decently carried out here. Despite featuring zombies, gigantic spider and killer clowns, this is very much a kids-friendly feature.

Helmed by Jeff Wadlow who did Kick-Ass 2 and Truth Or Dare, Wadlow manages to turn a familiar premise and cut them into several relentless horror set pieces resulting in a breezy horror comedy. Wayans is very much likeable as the science teacher who has a phobia for Halloween. He is a man who prefers logic than believing in the supernatural.

Pairing Priah Ferguson whom many will remember as the smarty pants Erica from Stranger Things with Wayans is a godsend. These two generate enough chemistry to make the trip to Bridge Hollow worthwhile although it’s always good to see a much tone down Wayans as compared to his overly exaggerated performances in the Scary Movie outings. A few more familiar faces appear in the flick as well. Rob Riggle appears as Howard’s neighbour, John Michael Higgins from Pitch Perfect appears as the school principal and Lauren Lapkus (Jurassic World) plays the town’s eccentric mayor.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow is generally a whole lot of fun unless you prefer blood-soaking violence and far more realistic horror tropes. At least it’s way better than getting a sequel to Hubie Halloween.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee