A horror movie where the scares in a haunted house become real has been likened to classic slashers of the 80s, gaining it a 100% viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Haunt is a 2019 American slasher film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the team behind A Quiet Place, Heretic, and 65.
The film stars Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, and Lauryn McClain. Set on a Halloween night, it follows a group of friends who encounter a haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears, unaware that the performers have murderous intent. On Metacritic, the horror has a score of 69% from critics and 63% from viewers, indicating “generally positive reviews”.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% from critics and 100% from viewers. The site’s critics consensus reads: “Haunt is spooked by the spirits of its obvious influences, but still packs enough thrills and chills to satisfy horror fans up for a haunted house excursion.”
Albert Nowicki included the film on his list of “best Halloween movies of all time” for Prime Movies. He said: “The film has a homey feel and is very reminiscent of horror films from thirty or forty years ago – it’s uncomplicated, but never borders on cliché.”
Haunt premiered on Shudder (a streaming service for horror, thriller, and supernatural movies and series), where it was ranked the number one most-watched movie premiere of 2019.
One reviewer said: “Haunt was such a pleasant surprise after randomly stumbling across it on a streaming site. It’s one of my favourites now. It doesn’t get talked about enough.”
A user replied: “I was also pleasantly surprised by this and immediately watched it twice in a row. I really loved the idea for the bad guys in this. I would love a sequel!”
Another said: “Whoa! Delivers what it promises. Disturbing, tense, and violent. Pretty skilled direction, worth a watch if you desire a nightmarish time.”
Haunt (2019) is available to watch on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV, and Sky.