Hello, horror fans! Welcome to this edition of Horror With a Side of Cheese. I am searching for the cheesiest, weirdest, funniest and wildest genre films out there. The mission takes me through the many subgenres and across time and space. Each piece of chosen media is then scored on a scale of one to five cheese slices. Multiple factors are included in the rating such as acting, story, special effects, dialogue and re-watchability. In this edition, I am talking about a newer horror, 2023’s The Jester.
About The Jester
A strange and terrifying entity known as The Jester is terrorizing a small town. On Halloween night, two sisters return to the town only to be faced with the malevolent being. Now, the sisters must band together to survive the night and defeat the creature. Some believe it is a man in a mask, but the truth is so much scarier.
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This film stars Michael Sheffield, Lelia Symington, Delaney White, Ken Arnold and Jesse L. Green. Colin Krawchuck and Michael Sheffield wrote the story and Krawchuck directed the film. The runtime is 90 minutes.
The Jester does not have a Tomatometer Score, but it does have a 48 percent Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, it has a 4.6/10 rating on IMDb.
My Thoughts
This movie provided an… interesting experience. I went into this film expecting something dripping with total cheesiness, especially after seeing an image of the creature. It reminded me of a costume one might pick up at Spirit Halloween. What I got, however, was a weird ride that I am still sorting through in my head.
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The first thing I want to get into is the story. The beginning started out strong, it seemed like it was going to be anything but cheesy. I was excited to see where it would go. Unfortunately, the end result did not live up to my expectations. The longer the film goes on, the more off the rails the story gets. Overall, the middle seems disjointed and off the wall. Then comes the end, which I found incredibly disappointing. It took a hot minute for it to sink in, what was actually happening, and when it did, I was left shaking my head and wondering why, out of all the possibilities, that was the ending that was chosen. Some viewers may find it difficult to follow the wild ride that is the twist, and even when it is understood, it is no better.
The dialogue is just as odd and disjointed as the plot at times but is not a huge factor in my perception of the film. It is one of the cheesier elements, but not enough to go on and on about. I can’t even think of a single line that stood out enough to quote here.
One of the best elements is the effects. The blood is a little sad, but generally speaking, the special Fx are not those of super low-budget movies, which is what I was anticipating. While the Jester himself does remind me of a higher-end costume that can be bought from a shop around Halloween, it is well done. The creature does not speak, so there are no strange mouth movements, and the makeup or mask (honestly not sure which) holds in place as if it were real. The wounds are also decent.
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Unfortunately, while the acting is a step above many of the films I discuss in this column, it was not spectacular. I found most of the characters annoying more than anything, which is not necessarily the actors’ fault, but they were among the factors. I can describe this aspect in one word, disappointing. In case you haven’t noticed, this seems to be the byword for The Jester.
Finally, re-watchability. I fully intended to add this one to my watch again list, right up until the ending became clear. Something about it got under my skin. I believe I understand what the writers were going for, but to me, it just enforced negative stereotypes and was a letdown after the build-up. So, negative points in this category. I am giving this one cheese slice and I feel that is generous. If you are interested in watching The Jester, it is available to rent through most major platforms.
Thanks for sticking around, horror fans. Until next time, enjoy the movie trailer below. Stay Spooky, stay cheesy, and above all, watch more horror movies.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/evil-dead-horror-movie-franchise-remakes-comparisons/
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