October often brings new films about its epic, spooky holiday. And Netflix’s latest Halloween offering is The Curse of Bridge Hollow, which follows 14-year-old Sydney (Stranger Things star Priah Ferguson) on a quest to stop the evil spirits in a new town with the help of her new friends and skeptical dad (Scary Movie star Marlon Wayans). Both Ferguson and Wayans bring their comedic chops to a scary movie with a handful of genuinely frightening “pop-out” moments that might make you drop your popcorn. For those looking for a fresh offering for the whole family to enjoy in the days leading up to Halloween, The Curse of Bridge Hollow may be your best bet — if you’ve already experienced Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2. If you can forgive certain lapses in plotline logic and the inherent overacting that comes with a kid-friendly film, The Curse of Bridge Hollow is at least worth a tune-in on the streaming giant.
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The storyline follows Sydney, who isn’t thrilled about leaving her big-city life in Brooklyn for small-town living in Bridge Hollow. That is until she learns that Halloween is the biggest day of the year in her new community. Unlike her father, an overly logical science teacher, Sydney is inquisitive with a passion for the unknown — and when she hears a strange sound in her new home, she discovers her house may be haunted. Her curious nature leads her on a road of discovery, and in the process, she accidentally releases an ancient spirit. With the support of her mother (Kelly Rowland) and new friends at the school, Sydney and her father must put aside their conflicting beliefs and join forces to take on the supernatural. Here’s a closer look at the film overall.
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Comedic Cast Brings Laughs
For a kid-friendly romp, you have to hand it to Ferguson and Wayans for giving the film a pulse with some laugh-out-loud, father-daughter exchanges. “It was great working with Marlon. He gave me advice on and off set,” star Ferguson recently told MovieWeb. “He was cool and kind of like a father figure off-set. We had really great chemistry. And the family as well, like with Kelly [Rowland] and the whole cast. We all had very great chemistry. [Marlon] was super funny, which I’m sure everyone knows that Marlon will make you laugh, and I was there to laugh at all his jokes, which was always great.”
Director Jeff Wadlow also plugged the film as a standout due to its ability to bring both scares and laughs. “All of my films walk the line between different genres and that’s why I was excited about this project,” he said in a statement. “I think some people who’ve made a lot of scary movies would be wary of the comedic elements, and some people who’ve made a bunch of comedies would be nervous about the more horror-based aspects to the story. But I love working in different genres and combining them.”
“When you mix horror and comedy, you find an instant balance because you need the horror for the tension, which leads to the comedy,” Wayans added in a statement. “You also need the horror for the setups that lead to the comedy. You also need the horror for a movie like this to really ground the movie and for there to be stakes.”
In addition to Rowland (Freddy vs. Jason) playing Ferguson’s mom, the film also features familiar comedic talents like Rob Riggle (The Hangover, Hotel Transylvania) playing the bombastic next-door neighbor and John Michael Higgins (Licorice Pizza, The Break-Up) as the school principal. Both help maintain that pulse, especially during sequences that seem a bit repetitive involving the town’s evil spirits coming alive and trying to take over the town. Speaking of laughs — one highlight is when an elderly local tells Sydney and her dad a spooky tale about the town and begins the story with, “It was a dark and spooky night.” Wayans as the dad quickly quips, “Of course it was.” And when his daughter doesn’t appreciate his sarcastic remark, he defends himself by saying how stories like these never take place on a “hot and humid day.” Very true.
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Setting Up A Franchise?
Netflix
Another comedic highlight comes with Riggle’s introduction as the concerned neighbor — someone who’s clearly aware of the town’s spooky secrets. And when Wayans — as the smart-alleck science teacher who scoffs away any supernatural possibilities — jokes about believing in Santa Claus, Riggle’s face turns grave as he asks, “Why? What have you heard?” It’s moments like these that pave the way for a world of possibilities in thinking about a potential sequel or spin-off. Especially combined with the film’s seemingly open-ended conclusion (without giving anything away). Of course, viewership numbers may be the ultimate tell whether Netflix will produce an additional installment, but all the plot elements are there to craft a new storyline — whether it’s based around Halloween or even Christmas.
Hopefully, the star power here is enough to drive up adult viewership. Folks like myself grew up watching Wayans playing hilarious characters in the first two Scary Movie films, for instance. Fortunately for the older generations, this film has a tight runtime and doesn’t drag on, despite the repetitive CGI sequences in the third act. It helps that the storyline is based on familiar themes, such as feeling included among your school peers and bonding with your family no matter what. Plus, Stranger Things fans will love seeing Ferguson in a lead role. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the young talent.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow is available now on Netflix.
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