Bad Apples, 2018.
Directed by Bryan Coyne.
Starring Brea Grant, Graham Skipper, Hannah Prichard, Andrea Collins, and Danielle Reverman.
SYNOPSIS:
A pair of troubled teens wreak murderous havoc on a small town one fateful Halloween night.
Fancy watching a completely unoriginal horror film? Well you’re in the right place folks – settle down to 90 minutes in front of Bad Apples and your wish will have been granted!
It’s Halloween and a married couple (Brea Grant and Graham Skipper) have moved into a new neighbourhood. As the day progresses, they begin to realise that their new neighbours, are something to be desired, which leaves them feeling a little on edge. On the other side of town, at the local trailer park, two young teens baring ‘scary’ masks, start terrorising anyone who is seemingly not celebrating Halloween. Oh and also generally anyone that annoys them.
There is absolutely nothing original about Bad Apples. It’s Halloween; tick. Couple freaked out by their new neighbours; tick. Creepy murderer in a mask; tick. Even the deaths are outrageously clichéd – the writer (also the director Bryan Coyne), has simply picked out the five most common ways to murder someone in slasher films, and has tried to incorporate all of them into the film. The ‘big twist’ is glaringly obvious within in the first three minutes of the film and is revealed in possibly the most disgracefully acted final scene you will ever witness. The long, overdrawn death scenes are more suited to a comedy horror (think Scary Movie) and if you’re not annoyed by the contrasting bright red blood and the dark red blood, used simultaneously during the murder scenes, then quite frankly, you’re just not a true horror fan!
Bad Apples tries its hand at being a horror film with heart, with some obvious attempts at trying to draw some emotion from the audience. For this it should be commended because in spite of the rest of the film, it’s not often you get sob story for your protagonists. However, this just isn’t enough to counteract the rest of the film. If you’re a hardcore horror fan, then give the film a watch; use it as a tool to truly appreciate the good horror films out there. If you’re not a hardcore horror fan, then probably best to stay away because Bad Apples, is about as lazy as it gets when it comes to film-making.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Sadé Green