Review: Jack-O (1995)
Directed by: Steve Latshaw
Starring: Linnea Quigley, Maddisen Krown, Gary Doles
Written by: Patrick Moran
Music by: Jeffrey Walton
IMDb
This is one of those flicks whose VHS cover I always noticed at the video store, though I had never seen it because, frankly, it looked like garbage. But I liked it! The version I watched was of very low quality, but I think that might have worked in its favor. Jack-O has a very ‘80s feel, despite being released in 1995, and doesn’t follow the trends that sunk a lot of ‘90s horror. This is a cheap movie that doesn’t do a great job of hiding how cheap it is, but it’s so earnest that it’s easy to overlook its flaws. The atmosphere is fairly effective, helped by a surprisingly spooky score. The pumpkin-headed demon is fun. The gore factor could have been stepped up quite a bit but it wasn’t completely devoid of the red stuff. I honestly expected a low-rent, snarky, and mean holiday movie along the lines of Jack Frost (though that one has grown on me). But overall, the movie has a refreshingly playful tone devoid of cynicism. It’s filled with zany, odd tangents that are kind of charming, even if they take screen time away from the slashing. The fictional town of Oakmoor Crossing feels lived in, with actual Halloween traditions and folklore, due to a weird focus on borderline inane micro-details and random and frequent scenes of characters just bullshitting. There is a tension here between wanting to be an old-fashioned family horror yarn and a throwback to ‘80s sleaze, best evidenced by a completely unnecessary but not wholly unwelcome shower scene featuring Linnea Quigley, who I think was contractually obligated to be nude at some point in every movie in which she appeared. I always love to be surprised by a movie and this one did that, considering my expectations for it were basically zero. About all this movie needed was more actual pumpkin demon murder. I recommend it for fans of Halloween horror. Also recommended is the apparently notorious DVD commentary track featuring director Steve Latshaw and producer Fred Olen Ray bickering with each other nonstop. Their discussion really highlights the film’s fascinating juxtaposition of earnestness and trash.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10