Tis the season to be frightened. It’s October, and while it’s true that horror movies come all throughout the year, this is that special month where horror fans celebrate the genre they so passionately love. In keeping with the holiday season, what better time to check out one of the horror movies that I missed from earlier this year. I’m talking about “Night of the Reaper”, an old-fashioned slasher with a distinct mystery element to it.

After a well-done prologue, “Night of the Reaper” introduces us to Deena Golding (Jessica Clement) who is returning to her hometown after being away at college. Deena was reluctant to come back to the town where her sister Emily was murdered a few years earlier. But she decides to return despite her sad and life-altering history with the place. Once there, Deena checks in on her parents and reconnects with her old friend Haddie (Savannah Miller).

Later that evening Deena gets a call from Haddie who’s in need of a favor. Haddie was supposed to babysit the local sheriff’s son but has gotten sick. So she asks Deena to fill in for her. Deena agrees and promptly drives out to the sheriff’s rural rustic homeplace where she meets his son Max (Max Christensen). The two hit it off well and settle in for the evening. But their night will soon take a chilling turn with the sudden appearance of a masked killer.

While Deena is a central character, the movie alternates its time between her and Sheriff Rodney Arnold (Ryan Robbins). His story is fueled by tragedy, as he lost his wife and Max’s mother to a fatal car accident. As Rodney attempts to manage his grief while raising his son, he’s also put on the trail of several unsolved area murders. He begins receiving mysterious packages containing clues linking the murders together.

While the sheriff intensifies his investigation he makes more alarming discoveries. Meanwhile Deena finds herself in terrifying game of cat-and-mouse with a demented killer. As you can probably guess, the sheriff’s murder mystery eventually merges with Deena’s slasher story, but not in ways you might expect. Writer-director Brandon Christensen throws in some big twists that sees the final act taking some refreshingly wild turns.

The writing takes some big swings, and to its credit it always stays one step ahead of its audience. We’re kept guessing which is a big part of what makes the movie such fun. At the same time, the script doesn’t spend enough time on key people to allow the ending to land as intended. I know that’s a very vague criticism, but it has to be in order to avoid spoilers. Still it’s too big of an issue to miss as it lessens the impact of the otherwise big finish.

“Night of the Reaper” leans on a number of tropes that horror fans will spot a mile away. And its lack of attention to specific characters and their arcs has repercussions. But the film surprises with its genre fusion of slasher and mystery. It also cleverly channels its 1980s setting through the aesthetic as well as the filmmaking. And it makes good use of its small budget, especially in the gory kill department. As a result, “Night of the Reaper” ends up being a nice surprise and a little bit more than your run-of-the-mill slasher flick.

VERDICT – 3 STARS