The Horror Show
Bad Apples
by Bryan Coyne
Oh, how I love the Halloween season! At the time of this reviews writing, it's February, so the current time of year is not what is making me think of All Hallows' Eve, but any time can feel like Halloween when you have horror movies! Few things make me more connected to Autumn and frightful masks in the off-season than Halloween-centered films. There are many to choose from, some classic slashers, some more drama/horror; because of my love for all this stuff, I eagerly checked out a new film dealing with the crisp, soulful time of year that is the harvest. This film I refer to is Bad Apples. But was it good? Did it deserve to be affiliated with such a beloved time of year? I'll get to that later, for now, let's look at what the flick is all about.
Bad Apples primarily centers around two situations that converge. The first focus is a young couple who move to a small town around Halloween. Ella (Brea Grant), is a teacher about to start her new position at the local school and her husband, Robert (Graham Skipper), is about to begin a new job at the local hospital. Ella isn't so pumped about Halloween and has no interest in participating in any decorating or handing out candy. Robert is a little more enthusiastic and talks her into having some Jack-o-Lanterns, but she remains firm about the trick-or-treating aspect.
This brings us to the other plot that becomes the main source of mayhem. Two disturbed sisters (played by Alycia Lourim and Heather Vaughn) don their Halloween masks and head to school. There is clearly something off about the two girls. They are mostly silent, and when their principal (Richard Riehle) pushes them a bit too far, they snap. What follows is a bloody rampage that is primarily leveled at those folks who dare not participate in the season. And this certainly includes Ella, who has made a point to not answer the door.
So, what did I think? All in all, I really liked the film. At points it had this certain tone that I really appreciate in movies: solemnness and a hint of despair in the air. The sisters, faces covered in masks, taking to their bikes and riding off through the autumn air made this favorite feeling of mine resonate. It isn't consistent throughout the film, certainly. These more atmospheric moments are peppered throughout, but the film overall stands as a slasher flick with a little more of a morose feeling. This is fine, as I love slasher movies too and the little touches of Fall dreaminess makes it a cut above what it could have been.
Everyone in the film does a good job and there is no real low-notes acting wise. At first, I noted that the Ella character had a subtle air of bitterness and cynicism to her. This is perfectly fine as she has every right to be and movies shouldn't always be a simple combo of “nice happy person vs evil villain”. Someone doesn't have to be a sugary cutup for me to care whether or not they meet their end, but the film goes the extra yard of giving some insight as to why she maybe isn't the most jovial person in her life right now.
The only actor in the film I instantly recognized would be Richard Riehle, and I really know that guy. Always wonderful and fun to watch, Riehle has been involved in some of my most beloved movies such as Hatchet, Palindromes, and my absolute favorite film Mysterious Skin. I'm not just giving him credit because he was involved in these films (as well as many other great ones), he himself is fantastic. His performance in Bad Apples is no exception. His character in this movie is definitely someone I wouldn't get along with in real life, but he commits to the role and makes the character's suspicion and inappropriate religious inquiry so much fun to watch. He isn't in the film a ton, but, as always, he makes his time memorable.
One statement I want to make is that I love the sister characters. Sure, their personalities are not super-duper expanded upon, but that's part of what I like. It's almost as if they are just moving with the current, if you will. It's as if something in their head switched on. Earlier I referred to them “snapping” which is accurate, but in a way it's more like an awakening. If I'm being honest, I'll say that part of me wished the film focused more on the atmospheric elements and the sisters. However, that's just me wanting to shape something into my own personal taste, which isn't a fair criticism because at the end of the day the film does what it does quite well.
All in all, I have a positive opinion of Bad Apples. I was never bored, I liked the style, and many of the characters were interesting. I yearned for more of some parts only to be moved to something else, but it was all important to the story and the movie succeeds at what it's trying to do. It's not next-level gory or anything, but certainly revels in its more bloody moments and I like that. So, if you're looking for something that is clearly inspired by slasher films but brings some different elements into the mix, I would recommend checking out Bad Apples.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.