Movie Review by Martin Berman-Gorvine - 'Archaon: The Halloween Summoning'

Just in time for Samhain, we have “Archaon: The Halloween Summoning,” available on Amazon Prime Video. This indie production from Green Apple Entertainment is a solid if not groundbreaking entry in the Cursed Artifact subgenre of horror films, with Paul Ernest directing and sharing writing and producing credits with Michael White. Tim Warren is the executive producer.

The film’s strength lies in the tight focus on four main characters, all around college age: Nolan (Garrett Miller), his brand-new love interest Sara (Sarah Zanotti), Nolan’s younger brother Jackson (Josh Scherer), and Jackson’s buddy Pete (Christopher Dalton). Jackson orders an authentic Celtic Samhain mask for Halloween, not realizing that it comes with a curse: whoever wears it is immediately plunged into a frightening netherworld, “The In-Between,” which looks just like the regular world (we are in an unremarkable American suburban ranch house), except with a blue tint and eerie snowflakes floating around the deserted rooms where all their friends were just a moment before. And of course, a scary, half-seen monster lying in wait. Visually and conceptually, the In-Between seems borrowed from the Upside-Down in the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.”

Nolan is perhaps the most interesting character, changing in a flash from the bullying older brother to a sensitive yet strong young man. Unfortunately, Mr. Miller has a tendency to deliver his lines in a mumble.

As tradition dictates, these four bumblers are drawn to the strange and ugly Cursed Artifact, which looks like a small burlap sack with features inexpertly drawn on by a small child. They realize the danger they are in too late, and try to rid themselves of the sack, which keeps turning up like a bad penny, or the star of the song “The Cat Came Back.” They can’t even figure out how to cancel a planned Halloween party at their home that seems destined to turn into a bloodbath. Luckily for them a helpful Samhain expert steps in to save the day, and they don’t inquire too closely about this convenient coincidence.

This is all pretty tame fare for a horror movie, the only casualty, and an implied one at that, being Nolan’s stoner friend Hunter (Jaire George), who is so unimportant even Nolan doesn’t seem to realize he’s missing, presumed monster chow. But the strong cast, including supporting characters Kate (Michaela Lee) and Teresa (Jules Incorvia) as love interests for Jackson and Pete, respectively, are enough to carry the day if you’re not up for a serious scare.

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Author

Martin Berman Gorvine

Website

Author of the four-book “Days of Ascension” horror novel series--All Souls Day (2016), Day of Vengeance (2017), Day of Atonement (2018), and Judgment Day (2020)--all published by Silver Leaf Books.
He is also the author of six science fiction novels, many with an alternate history theme: the Sidewise Award-winning The Severed Wing (as Martin Gidron) (Livingston Press, 2002); 36 (Livingston Press, 2012); Seven Against Mars (Wildside Press, 2013); Save the Dragons! (Wildside Press, 2013), which was a finalist for the Prometheus Award; Heroes of Earth (Wildside Press, 2015); and Monsters of Venus (Wildside Press, 2017). 