Movie Review: Night of the Reaper

There’s something about retro 1970s-80s vibes that can make a horror movie feel extra creepy, and the writer/director duo of Brandon and Ryan Christensen deploy them to great effect in the uneven but effective Night of the Reaper. Set in a non-specific 1980s year and a non-specific suburban town, they pull influences from a host of the era’s best films and swirl them together to tell a truly unpredictable story.

Opening with a riff on When a Stranger Calls, we witness the murder of a local babysitter before jumping ahead to introduce us to Deena (Jessica Clement), a young woman visiting from college who is asked by her best friend to fill in on a babysitting gig for Sheriff Rodney Arnold’s (Ryan Robbins) son Max (Max Christensen). She reluctantly agrees and quickly warms to the precocious boy, but she can tell that something is off at the isolated house.

Meanwhile, Rodney has begun receiving mysterious video tapes that purport to show area murders being committed, so he and one of his officers (Matty Finochio) set about trying to determine who could be sending them and if they are real. As they get closer to an answer the two plotlines begin to converge before heading off in some totally unexpected directions.

This is a pretty low budget affair, and it sometimes shows, but all in all this movie is punching well above its weight. The acting isn’t always the best, especially in the police procedural moments, but the cast deliver when it counts and Clement gives an engaging and dynamic lead performance. Kim Lennox’s excellent production design nails the look of the period, and Brandon and cinematographer Clayton Moore frame everything well, making sure the audience has a good sense of the layout of the main house and pulling off some very creepy shots.

There are some slasher elements here, but I wouldn’t consider this that kind of film. The script is more interested in its mystery elements as opposed to presenting us with a string of kills, a decision that works well here, allowing us more time to get acquainted with the characters and more invested in their fates. The Christensens prove highly adept at generating suspense, bringing viewers to the edge of their seats repeatedly, before pulling the rug out from under them on the way to a satisfyingly twisty finale. The weaker moments can be hard to overlook, but by the end most will be glad to have spent time with this nostalgic yet novel little slice of terror. ★★★