The Jester 2023
Sinopsis
A malevolent being known as The Jester terrorizes the inhabitants of a small town on Halloween night, including two estranged sisters who must come together to find a way to defeat this evil entity.
Review
We all understand that Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger et al are the flamboyant prima donnas of their respective horror franchises, so it seems fitting that the eponymous bogeyman of this new slasher flick plies his murderous trade with a showman’s flair. Rather than springing out of the shadows, the jester (Michael Sheffield) – already the star of three shorts well-received on YouTube – is always front and centre, starting with a dapper intro sequence with him in his tangerine suit and nightmare mask, twirling his cane and primping his tie.
It’s just a shame the non-homicidal portions have none of the same sprezzatura. Writer-director Colin Krawchuk saddles us with a poorly written, lead-footed plot delivered in stodgy lumps between killings. After the apparent suicide by hanging of her estranged father (actually the jester’s first victim), musician Emma (Lelia Symington) must overcome her guilt for refusing to talk to him and her abandonment issues. Meanwhile, her favoured half-sibling Jocelyn must grapple with being all alone in the world – and where better to staunch that wound than hitting a spooky Halloween festival full of people in fake nooses and haunted houses?
