The Third Saturday in October - Part V

Criticisms of this film that I've seen have called it more of a gimmick than an aspiring work of art, and while they may be right to an extent regarding the charge of gimmickry, I don't find the film to be cynical at all.

This film does need a LOT of improvement, however, director Burleson and his crew get a lot right. First, it looks darn good for a low-budget independent, with solid cinematography, and the general aesthetic they present adds much to the film's positive aspects. It just feels and looks ..... legit. Second, the special gore effects are also solidly done. Not in Tom-Savini-in-his-heyday territory but again, solid work. Conversely, the issues with the film include the killer, who has absolutely no presence and brings no menace of any kind to the table. Perhaps that's by design, I'm not sure, but this is a slasher film, and whether its a comedy/satire/send-up/whatEVER, the killer needs to have SOMETHING special to offer the audience to make any of this believable, and I found that lacking in the extreme. The other criticisms would be those you can generally expect to come with low-budge productions, so no need to drone on about that.

The filmmakers make up for the film's weaknesses with real strengths, which show real promise, and in the very least a promising future amongst the horror genre could be in store for them. Also, editor's note: A shout-out to lead actor Kansas Bowling, whom I was lucky enough to do a music video premiere for involving one of her projects a couple years back. Click the 'Arts + Entertainment' tab at the top if you're interested.

I don't think I can necessarily recommend this film, as it's certainly not for more general audiences. But if that poster has you interested or curious, I can say whether you personally like the film or not by its conclusion, you're at least quite likely to be entertained. So, try it out!