Look, it’s October and by default, the entire month is almost always devoted to spooky and creepy movies.
But, there are also a few family-friendly flicks to be seen.
If you’ve got a Netflix account, you should check out “The Curse of Bridge Hollow” and prepare yourself for a decent comedic romp.
It’s not overly scary and the CGI graphics are pretty weak but there’s just enough hilarity to keep it together.
Just don’t read too much into it or have your thinking cap on when you watch it.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow is a comedy horror film directed by Jeff Wadlow from a screenplay by Todd Berger and Robert Rugan.
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Priah Ferguson, Kelly Rowland, John Michael Higgins, Lauren Lapkus, Rob Riggle, and Nia Vardalos
It’s rated TV14 which is mostly the same as PG-13 for language, mild profanity, frightening and intense scenes, and some horror elements.
The Gordon family moves into Bridge Hollow from Brooklyn in a handful of days leading up to Halloween.
Parents Howard (Wayans) and Emily (Rowland) are surprised at the town’s dedication to the holiday and look for ways to convince their daughter Sydney (Ferguson) that the move will be fun for her.
Once they arrive at their new home, Sydney expresses plenty of teenage angst and disdain for her parents’ decision to uproot her life, but finds the neighborhood and town’s rampant Halloween decorating to be a nice change.
Howard meets their neighbor Sully (Riggle) and is creeped out by his excitement for Halloween and all the spooky attachments that come with it.
Sully offers an old werewolf decoration for the Gordons to use and tries to persuade Howard that no decorations mean that the house would be subject to pranksters.
In the meantime, Sydney meets a trio of local high school students who make up the “paranormal society” and quickly gains an interest in the town’s history as well as that of her new home.
Bridge Hollow is a town that goes all out for Halloween with the local legend of Stingy Jack a wicked man who was killed by the town residents when the town was first founded is said to be waiting to take revenge upon the descendants of those who wronged him.
And Sydney’s new house happens to have belonged to a gypsy medium who captured Stingy Jack so he wouldn’t torment residents ever again.
Unfortunately, the paranormal society trio convinces Sydney to use an Ouija board app on her phone to try and contact the spirit of the medium.
While she doesn’t get a straight answer, a door opens on its own and seemingly leads Sydney to the attic that’s chock full of vintage toys, furniture, and an antique dress form.
After she scares herself and knocks over a lamp on accident, a hidden alcove in the wall reveals a locked chest.
Naturally, her curiosity gets the best of her and she finds an antique carved turnip inside and is inspired to put up some Halloween decorations inside the house – much to her father’s disdain.
And she decides to light the turnip – which is a horrible idea and causes the release of Stingy Jack.
I have to say that while the storyline is weak and Howard Gordon is entirely too bent on proving everything “scientifically”, it’s a fair-to-middling flick worth a few laughs.
