Holiday Flix: Hack-O-Lantern (1998)

 Today make sure to carve a pumpkin, not a person!

This is Hack-O-Lantern, a 1988 Film that keeps my streak of not watching Trick 'r Treat going.
Sorry, Film- maybe one day.

It comes to us from Jag Mundra, the Director of, well, nothing else I've ever seen.  Given the quality of this Film, that may not change anytime soon.

The Plot involves a family, a creepy grandpa and a dark ritual.  It's set on two different Halloweens, so it still works today.

Will evil win this day?
Will our Hero resist temptation?
Will the Plot stop for five minutes to let a random Stand-Up Comic try out his 'tight five?'

To find out, read on...

In, um, 1975...maybe, a blond kid is given a pumpkin and a strange gift from his Grandpa.

He cuts his hand during the carving later and the Mom smashes it.

The Dad is upset about Grandpa still visiting.

He goes out to his House on Halloween Night (not that one) and it turns out that he was having a ceremony with his Satanic Cult.

Whoops.

He's killed and we see that the Grandson was given a satanic amulet.

One transition later and now he's an Adult who poses like Jeff Goldblum.

We get to see the now grown up family- two sons and a daughter- and their random, dead meat friends.

Grandpa wants the Grandson to do a big ritual that night to fully join the Cult.

In the meantime, a masked guy is killing the dead meat.

The other Son is a friendly Cop.

He meets with the Mom- who has aged well!- and tries to get his big Brother to change.

Silver Spoons here fails.

Skipping ahead past the random Rock Video and Halloween Party filler, the Grandpa gets the chosen one for the Ceremony, but it is interrupted by the Sister.

Her Boyfriend was killed by- she assumes- the Brother and calls him out.

Grandpa tries to sacrifice her, but the Brother frees her...and that's his Arc over.

She calls the Cops to the Barn from the ritual, but it is empty now.

The Cult- or at least one of them- is now at the Party and kills a few people, including her best friend.

At this point, we get to the big twist when the killer in the mask arrives and Grandpa confronts them!

The masked Cultist kills Grandpa, who sets up the Sequel Bait.

Said killer was wounded and wanders to the tombstone of the Dad and it's...Mom?!?

'What a Twist!'

In the aftermath, we see that the Sheriff's Deputy Son was corrupted by Grandpa's touch on the forehead and now he's the new Leader.

Dun dun dun!

Oh right- no Sequel (and the Director died 14 years ago).

A pretty underwhelming Film, especially for a Halloween Film.

To be fair, it does feature a Party, many people in costume and pumpkins.
It's not a cheat to call this a Halloween Film, but does it fit the spirit?

The Plot is both too rushed and too slow.
They clearly didn't have enough Plot for the full 80 minutes, so it just stops for the Party Scenes, the Rock Video and that random Comic.

What you actually get is really melodramatic, not too well acted and also with a hint of incest.  
First Elves did it for Christmas and now YOU did it for Halloween!

There is some fun to be had here- intentional and unintentionally- but I'd recommend most other Halloween Films over this.

That said, what the hell is going on with this background picture?!?

Have a Happy Halloween.  Try to avoid any Cults if you can- unless they offer seasonal cocktails, of course!