Marlon Wayans carries an entire film as we bring you this The Curse of Bridge Hollow review.
A man and his daughter must team up to save their town after an ancient and mischievous spirit causes Halloween decorations to come to life and wreak havoc.
Not quite up to the endearing measure that Hubie’s Halloween brought us back in 2020 The Curse of Bridge Hollow is a PG-13 Goosebumps-esque comedy horror that isn’t quite sure what it wants to be.
This family-friendly romp contains just enough to keep the whole family watching but Marlon carries the show bringing the comedic relief and a character you genuinely grow to like despite his annoying fact-telling.
Priah Ferguson plays Howard’s (Marlon Wayans) daughter in the movie and Kelly Rowland plays Howard’s wife, both Priah and Kelly don’t really gel into their roles with Priah’s character becoming quite stern and annoying throughout, almost wooden in places.
The supporting cast is merely there to fill numbers on the screen and the mayhem begins when this supernatural curse brings to life all of the Halloween decorations in this small town.
Howard is a man of science and throughout the film is trying to rationalise almost everything that happens on screen. Acting like a script doctor Marlon single-handedly goes through scene by scene why this cannot be happening. It gets a little tiresome and as a result, the entire film falls a little flat.
There are a few laughs within to keep you watching, in particular a chainsaw scene and some nice winks and nods to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Nightmare on Elm Street woven into the story.
It’s not taking itself seriously but it’s hard for me to become invested in it as the film just lacks that magic that those old school TV horror films/shows had.
Marlon’s comedic role has been toned down so much in this movie that I instantly went back and watched A Haunted House 2 just to remind myself what he can do when he’s given more freedom to express himself.
Sydney’s character falls flat and she’s almost robotic in her delivery when emotion is called for in certain scenes. It was really disappointing to see and it certainly doesn’t help when she’s the main focus of the core story between father and daughter.
Feeling a little holloween rather than Halloween The Curse of Bridge Hallow isn’t a bad film but it’s far from being a good film either.
There are certainly worse films out there this Halloween (here’s looking at you Halloween Ends).
The Curse of Bridge Hollow review by Sean Evans
Our Rating
Summary
With some dialled-in performances working from a rather poor script, it’s Marlon Wayans who carries this festive and sometimes fun Halloween romp.
