OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

From the director of Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island, Jeff Wadlow had a lot to prove and with a screenplay from Todd Berger, one of the scribes behind The Happytime Murders, The Curse of Bridge Hollow was dead on arrival. 

Focusing on a town curse that sees an entity seeking a new physical body to possess, the film centers on Halloween decorations coming to life and horrifying the town. These elements have a cumbersome amount of digital effects that resemble something more rushed to completion rather than carefully crafted. Most of the haunted creatures look ridiculous, cheesy and sometimes hard to recognize posing any kind of threat. The Curse of Bridge Hollow could have benefitted from an overhaul of practical effects for the nightmare to leave a lasting impression for seasons to come. 

As mentioned before, the film is harmless, it’s not unwatchable but it’s instantly forgettable - especially with classics around every corner. Marlon Wayans and Priah Ferguson lead the film as a father/daughter pair who’s chemistry relies too heavily on Wayans being the straight man in this whacky comedy. The acting is all over the place, with many of the actors (Lauren Lapkus, Rob Riggle) taking on cartoonish personalities to better stand out amongst the lackluster story. Any instances of danger never translates to these characters as none of them earn any amount of compassion from the audience. 

Director Jeff Wadlow can’t help himself from striking out at every turn. While The Curse of Bridge Hollow is a harmless family haunt, it fails to bring the charm or draw that films of the season have done so many times before (ex. Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown). When all is said and done, The Curse of Bridge Hollow is simply another mediocre Halloween film lost in the shuffle.