MOVIE REVIEW: Boo

 

Four teenagers decide to spend Halloween exploring an abandoned mental hospital. Little do they know that there are still residents in the building, and they want out at any cost.

This is a horror film that was originally released at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival in 2018 to mainly favorable reviews. It was released on a limited basis in theaters in 2019. It is the typical teenage fright fest, with the four friends encountering the vengeful spirit of a child molester named Jacob that wants out of the hospital where he lost his life. Most of the cast are newcomers, with the delightful exception of Dee Wallace (the mom in ET: The Extraterrestrial), who plays the ghost of Nurse Russell, the one obstacle to Jacob’s escape. There is body reanimation, gory attacks, and general mayhem as one after the other of the friends is killed and taken over by Jacob. There is also humor, supplied by Dig Wayne as a former actor turned cop, who follows an old friend into the hospital to look for other missing teens. Actually, this is an extremely passable movie, as the script allows for empathy with the characters, and you find yourself actually rooting for the young people and cheering the ghost of Nurse Russell. A very good Halloween treat.