We sure do love ourselves a Shudder Original, don’t we folks? In the decade since the platform launched, we’ve been given iconic movies like Mandy, Host, Revenge, or When Evil Lurks. We’ve also been given…countless duds that I won’t dare name, because why would I want to reflect on movies that stink? Point is, if it’s a Shudder Original, I’m always more interested in it than an original movie on another platform, knowing that those typically need to appeal to a wider audience. Enter: Night of the Reaper. I knew nothing about this movie, but the poster piqued my interest, and, well, here we are! Luckily, this movie isn’t one of those Movies That Shall Not Be Named, which means it’s not a complete miss, and fans of ’80s slasher will likely revel in this throwback, but since I’m not a particular fan of that subgenre, this didn’t work for me. Oh well! There’s always the next Shudder Original!

The film opens with the classic ’80s premise of a babysitter (Summer H. Howell) being stalked by an unseen intruder. Jumping forward in time, Deena (Jessica Clement) returns to the suburban locale and takes on a babysitting gig, only to similarly be targeted by a mysterious force. While Deena aims to stay out of harm’s way, Sheriff Rod (Ryan Robbins) is haunted not only by the death of his wife, but also by an unresolved crime. Luckily(?), he receives clues that could uncover who’s really to blame for the “Night of the Reaper.”

Don’t cry! I regularly don’t like these kinds of movies!

There’s a lot to love about the ’80s (hence why VH1 probably made that I Love the ’80s TV show), which might be exactly why so many movies and TV shows have set their stories in that decade in recent years. Stranger Things has become a go-to example of a successful storyline that unfolds with the necessary ’80s ephemera, though it’s also become a divisive experience, as some think the series leans too heavily into nostalgia to earn itself undeserved goodwill. Still, from a technical level, I feel as though Stranger Things has found the right balance of incorporating touchstones of that time period while still delivering a cinematic aesthetic that feels contemporary.

As much as I hate to say “this thing is like this other thing,” just for the sake of brevity, Night of the Reaper both visually and tonally feels like it could be a spin-off episode of Stranger Things. This isn’t something like The House of the Devil, where it was filmed on 16mm in honor of shooting styles of the time; it’s something much more polished and glossier (though we do still get requisite sequences of a babysitter bopping around to era-appropriate tunes). Even though it doesn’t serve as a parody, there’s a heightened tone to the whole experience that embraces the absurdity of the situation, while also honoring the necessary archetypes: the innocent babysitter, the gruff sheriff with a dark past, the gossipy teen, the flirty receptionist — they’re all accounted for. The cast all do their best at depicting these heightened caricatures, but the movie fails to really make us care about any of them, given how one-dimensional they are in service of honoring ’80s slashers.

Can’t really go wrong with a skull-faced killer!

In addition to the difficulties of connecting with any of the characters, given that they’re just fulfilling archetypes, the pacing of the movie also makes it difficult to connect with the narrative. Outside of the opening scene and its slasher reveal, it takes nearly an entire hour before there’s any real appearance by a concrete threat. That whole time, audiences are meant to be interested in the movie based largely on “vibes,” it seems like. The sheriff gets clues about killings, Deena gets spooked out while babysitting, and we just spend time watching very little that actually excites us. The last 30 minutes of the movie, though, deliver multiple unexpected twists and turns related to who the slasher is, what is motivating them, and who really has the upper hand in the situation.

I mentioned how I’m not often interested in original movies on other platforms, and just earlier this year, Netflix unleashed Fear Street: Prom Queen, another slasher that was meant to pay respects to the ’80s. Whereas that film overwhelmed audiences with its pastiche, embracing things viewers loved about the decade and cranking those references up to 11, Night of the Reaper is at least a bit more restrained in its embrace of the era. Additionally, the movie unfolds in October, so we get the added bonus of some vintage decorations honoring the holiday. As someone who’s not inherently a fan of slashers or of ’80s homages, Night of the Reaper had its work cut out for it in impressing me. I ultimately admired the overall look and feel of the experience, but its failure to deliver any engaging characters and the long wait to deliver anything thrilling into the narrative ultimately made Night of the Reaper one of the Shudder Originals I’ll sacrifice over to the reaping.

Wolfman Moon Scale

Night of the Reaper lands on Shudder on September 19th.