Babysitters and masked killers at Halloween go together like cyanide and chocolate and peanut butter, and indie maestro Brandon Christensen (Z, 2019) whips up a new batch of Horror with those classic slasher ingredients in his 1980s throwback Night of The Reaper. Hitting Shudder September 15, this clever whodunit brings the specter of death to the babysitter’s club while mixing in a mysterious cat-and-mouse game between the cops and the killer. A smalltown bloodbath with a wicked soundtrack, Night of The Reaper combines Christensen’s slick camera work and his expertly crafted scare sequences for a real crowd-pleasing murderfest
In the quiet suburbs of middle America, Halloween is in full swing. Blow-mold pumpkins and handmade decorations are everywhere, but amid the fun and excitement of everyone’s favourite holiday, evil hides in plain sight. In the wake of a brutal killing that turned a teenage babysitter into a yearbook In Memoriam photo, Deena (Jessica Clement, Dream Scenario) returns home from college to a gloomy scene. Death has re-shaped her hometown into a dark version of what it once was as a sadistic killer stalks the residents, striking at random and videotaping their murders for some gruesome POV keepsakes.
“[Night of the Reaper] delivers retro masked killer horror on a blood-stained platter, and serves up maximum Halloween vibes like it’s handing out full-sized candy bars”
After Deena reluctantly takes a last-minute babysitting gig to help out a friend, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a maniac. While she watches classic horror movies with the Sherrif’s son Max (played by Brandon Christensen’s son Max Chistensen in his screen debut), The Reaper creeps closer and closer, sharpening their knife and preparing for Deena‘s close-up shot. Across town, Sherrif Rodney Arnolds (Ryan Robbins, Sanctuary) toils over casefiles getting colder by the day. And adding insult to injury, he has started receiving mysterious videotapes in (glorious!) fuzzy VHS era Killer POV, showcasing The Reaper’s ongoing massacre like twisted highlight reels of death. The Reaper has found its next star, but getting this new film to the finish line is going to be murder…
Brandon Christensen has been one of the most consistent creators working in the Horror space. His indie hit Z (2019) starring Final Destination 2 fave Keegan Connor Tracy, who also has a small part in Night of The Reaper, was an absolute supernatural shocker and his previous paranormal chillerThe Puppetman (2023), featured some of the most brutal kills of the year! His 2021 Shudder original Superhost (one of Nightmare on Film Street’s Top 10 of 2021) marked his debut into the cold-blooded killer arena, but Night of The Reaper is a real step up that blends his penchant for unnerving sequences that feel like living nightmares with a knife-wielding villain built for fans of Scream, The Strangers, and You’re Next.
Co-written with his frequent collaborator Ryan Christensen, Night of The Reaper is like a Fear Street novel cover come to life on screen. The movie sets the tone with a synth score to get you in the late 80s Halloween mood and turns up the volume on a soundtrack that’ll have you whipping your ponytail all over the house.
It’s also got a great VHS aesthetic with moments of Found Footage spliced in thanks to The Reaper’s creepy kill tapes and, similar to their previous films together, boasts at least one kill that’s worthy of a Chainsaw award. Like all slashers, its killer’s motivations are a little shaky, but the movie delivers retro masked killer horror on a silver blood-stained platter, and serves up maximum Halloween vibes like it’s handing out full-sized candy bars.
Brandon Chistensen’s Night of The Reaper hits Shudder September 19! Let us know what you thought of this synthy slasher throwback over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord! Social Media is A Cesspool. Come Hang Where All The Cool Creeps Are.
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