One takes place at a Halloween haunted attraction, one is about the aftermath of a Christmas murder, and the third one, which has nothing to do with a holiday, delivers all the horror.
BLOOD BARN (2025)
If you are a fan of Evil Dead homages like me, especially the kind that try to capture the 1981 look and feel of the original, Blood Barn is one to watch.
The film only runs 76 minutes long, so the most notable issue with is that it’s 39 minutes in before anything really happens, but once things start, they get crazy. None of it makes much sense, but the immersion into retro horror style makes up for it.
We meet a group of friends that drives to a farmhouse in the woods. They go swimming in a lake even though it looks cold and gray, there’s some man butt, there’s a volleyball montage, there’s some partying—all classic horror tropes.
The “possession” element seems to come from squirmy wormy creatures that come out of a trunk in the house. There is Evil Dead shaky cam POV and a torn Jaws poster on the wall (if you know, you know), as well as a nod to the forest attack scene—only this time a guy is the victim. There’s even a moment when a girl keeps repeating Nancy’s “This isn’t happening, this isn’t real” line from Elm Street.
There’s also a video tape that suggests that something tragic happened at a child’s birthday party, the girl whose family owns the house seems to be hiding something (although we never get a clear picture of what), characters start having hallucinations of horrific things, and eventually, they start turning Deadite.
Like I said, there’s no logic to any of it and nothing is explained, so it’s like a fever dream of horror as both the Deadites and the wormy things terrorize the group of friends. It’s totally entertaining, and it totally nails that old school Raimi style.
THE HAUNTED FOREST (2025)
This one, which lands on the holiday horror page, feels like one of those movies that probably made more sense in the filmmaker’s mind than it actually does on screen.
It definitely captures the Halloween spirit big time, so that’s a plus. It focuses on a high school student who takes a job at a haunted attraction leading up to Halloween night.
A good portion of the movie focuses on the main guy getting to know a variety of characters that work at the attraction while learning more about the legend of Native Americans slaughtered and buried on the land, who supposedly still haunt the place.
Then, a few inexplicable accidents happen. By Halloween, the main guy is having bad dreams about the tragic occurrences. But this is an hour into the movie. In other words, not a lot happens for a good portion of the movie beyond the horror-loving staff coming to terms with whether they should go on with the show after the horrific incidents that took place.
They do go on with the show, and in the last half hour, there are a few rapid-fire murders, an unexpected reveal of killer and motivation, and an unfolding of some confusing events. It fleetingly feels thrilling, but it’s just not enough horror payoff. In the biggest twist of all, this Halloween movie ends on Christmas!
SPLINTER (2021)
This film is short and well-acted by the leading actor, who carries the movie playing a man that becomes a recluse after coming home dressed as Santa for Christmas only to find his wife and son have been murdered.
So, is it a Christmas horror movie? I do think it earns a place on the holiday horror page, because there is Christmas décor, Christmas lights, and a Christmas tree in his house for the entire film, plus he sings Christmas tunes and drinks from Christmas mugs. The catch is that it’s six months after the holiday, and he simply hasn’t taken any of the holiday décor down.
This is a psychological horror flick that focuses on the main guy’s mental state, his meetings with a therapist, and his belief that someone or something is in the house with him. A few characters stop by the film and seem to confuse the plot, but they each carry some significant symbolism that makes more sense by the end.
There are some ghostly and creepy visuals, however, they are few and far between, and there’s one bloody flashback to the night of the murders, so don’t expect a whole lot of horror thrills here. The film is dark and moody though, and there is a twist. It’s just that none of it is exciting enough to lift the film from an intentionally somber, flatlining energy level, and the twist isn’t all that shocking to horror veterans.
