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Sunday Night at the Movies: Hellions

Bruce McDonald is one of Canada's most prolific directors. He's the guy responsible for two of my favourite Canadian flicks -- Hard Core Logo and Pontypool, which is a Basement favourite. The man's got a great eye and vision, and always brings something unique to the table.

So I was pumped to hear McDonald would once again tackle a genre movie, his first being the aforementioned Pontypool. This time he's made a Halloween-themed horror flick about murderous trick or treaters stalking a pregnant teen. Sounds like a can't miss, am I right? I said, am I right?

Stick with me!

Yeah, it's a pretty big miss actually. Everything is there to make Hellions a seasonal classic. The creepy kids are, well, creepy. The cast, led by the beautiful and talented Chloe Rose, is solid. And the premise is ripe for scares. So what went wrong?

Pretty much everything. This movie isn't scary, primarily because McDonald goes all arty when he should of taken the direct approach. Hellions starts out fine, but somewhere near the start of the second act the movie takes a hit of acid and things go all trippy. I don't like my horror trippy.

By the end, I didn't have a clue as to what the fuck I'd just watched, or what happened. Although I think they went with the was-it-all-in-her-head-or-not ending, but I'm not 100 per cent sure. And fuck you if they did. I hate movies that end that way.

McDonald rarely misses. Pontypool is great horror. Hellions is not. And Robert Patrick has little to do. So much so I forgot he was in it until now.

Bummer, as this could have been another one to watch every year around Halloween.

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