Movie review - Hallowarrior

Hallowarrior ** (out of 5) ‘Tis the season for the release of scary movies – especially those with a Halloween theme. This one, from writer/director Ben Sottak offers a unique mashup of genres for the occasion, and a really enticing title. He opens with a farm family that makes a huge deal out of this holiday – especially the daughter (Milly Shapiro), who acquires the nickname Pumpkin because of her glee levels whenever the calendar pages flip to October.

An apocalyptic plague wiped out the rest of her family and everyone within reach soon after that brief idyllic opening. We next find a sweet, innocent teenaged Pumpkin, living alone in that isolated old house for years. All efforts to find other humans have been in vain. True to her chosen name, she has short bright orange hair which, with her round face, makes her resemble one of the gourds she loved to carve. It’s late October, and she’s lavishly, if not obsessively, adorned the house and yard with suitably creepy decorations she’s crafted. Pumpkin also has more candy than food, as if expecting trick-or-treaters to magically reappear.

One night she’s awakened by three rag-tag intruders rummaging through her kitchen. They identify themselves as spouses Thalia and Royce (Shannyn Sossamon, A. J. Bowen) and Wendy (Ajani Russell) – part of a nomadic family that goes where it can to forage for food and means of survival. They band together for protection against savage plunderers that soil the desolate landscape. Thalia dangles the possibility of a long-sought new “family” for Pumpkin, and leaves to gather the rest of their group. But Royce is a brute – especially when he starts guzzling the booze that’s been sitting in a cabinet since the disaster – and surly Wendy has no desire to include Pumpkin in their journey. Even so, our naïve protagonist is oblivious to the potential menace we sense, and remains ever so welcoming to these first human contacts, and the possibility of an end to her loneliness.

We soon learn that this little “family” won’t qualify for any Norman Rockwell cover art. They’re more in a range between Mad Max denizens and Rob Zombie’s repertory batch of psychos. Mayhem ensues, and it gets as gruesome as genre fans could wish for. As low-budget affairs go, costumes, makeup and f/x gory bits are first-rate. Sottak’s resume is largely in horror shorts. But he stretches comfortably (for him; uncomfortably for the cast) into feature length with this offering.

Shapiro does well at portraying a bit of an enigma. Is she really as innocent and optimistic as she seems, or is there something dark within? Russell’s character also becomes more complex than her initial seething anger would indicate. Sossamon, whose elegantly beautiful face reeled me in as quickly and thoroughly as Heath Ledger’s character in A Knight’s Tale (one of my faves), looks much different 25 years later, but still quite attractive. Her character’s warmth seems sincere, even though we suspect it ain’t really what she’s all about.

The script has some plot holes that could have been handled better. But for a seasonal guilty pleasure, it’s a passable product. And it’s a well-paced 80 minutes, which is just right for the material and the small cast. For many, it’s probably wiser to view it while chomping on popcorn, rather than pasta with tomato sauce.

(Hallowarrior streams on Shudder as of 10/16/26)