ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Perry writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine, The Scariest Things, Horror Fuel, The Good, the Bad and the Verdict and Diabolique Magazine; for the film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope and Drive-In Asylum; and for the pop culture websites When It Was Cool and Uphill Both Ways. He is also one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast and can occasionally be heard as a cohost on Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast.

Official synopsis: In the heart of a quiet, 1980s suburb, college student Deena returns home and reluctantly takes on a last-minute babysitting job. That same night, the local sheriff receives a cryptic package that pulls him into a sinister scavenger hunt that sets off a game of cat and mouse with a dangerous killer. As the clues unravel, Deena finds herself ensnared in a nightmarish mystery that she may not survive. 

Plenty of 1980s-inspired throwback slasher movies are released every year, some merely aping the style, others paying loving homage, and a few that add their own flavor and unique elements to a revered fright-fare tradition. I’m happy to report that director Brandon Christensen’s Night of the Reaper is planted squarely in the third camp.

The lengthy opening sequence involving a teen babysitter (Summer H. Howell in a fantastic supporting performance) and the murderer who toys with her nicely sets the tone for what’s to come, and suffice it to say that it is no mere cold open. The film is rich with surprises and twists, and is best viewed by going in as cold as possible, so no spoilers here.

Jessica Clement is terrific as Deena, who, being the lead female character in a slasher-themed movie, seasoned viewers of the subgenre can guess will eventually cross paths with the main baddie. Ryan Robbins is also great in an emotional performance as Sheriff Rodney Arnold, now a single father after losing his wife in a single-car crash.

Christensen cowrote the screenplay with his brother Ryan Christensen (the pair worked together on 2023’s The Puppetman and this year’s Bodycam, which is currently on the film festival circuit), and it’s a corker, playing with slasher and whodunit horror tropes and therefore viewer expectations that go along with watching those types of films. Brandon is well-versed in horror filmmaking and builds both suspense and drama impressively here.

Night of the Reaper is super Halloween season fare. This strong slice of post-meta horror comes highly recommended.

Night of the Reaper is currently streaming on Shudder.