“It’s going after the carvers.” 

When a heartbroken teenage playwright (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), her younger brother (Wyatt Lindner), and a disparate group of survivors become trapped in a historical reenactment village on Halloween night, they must band together to survive a relentless assault by a sentient and vengeful pumpkin.

With Carved, Justin Harding adapts his 2018 short film and delivers a classic horror movie reminiscent of the 1990s.

For those who want to watch the short film, it’s available here.

Clichés and Pleasure

Carved is full of clichés. You have to be aware of that. In fact, Justin Harding has never shied away from using horror movie clichés. But he does it well. In other words, he manages to use clichés to give viewers pleasure without falling too much into the expected.

For example, we know that in this kind of movie, there are always teenagers getting high. And there are two here who fill the role well. But they have a place in the film that goes beyond what is usually given to this type of character.

But the director doesn’t just bring out old clichés, he also adds a modern touch through the themes he integrates into his film. Two homosexual characters in this kind of movie, who have an important role, we don’t see that often. There are also black men who play a more important role than we’ve often seen in horror movies.

And, importantly, the pleasure is there. Failing to be truly scared, we jump a few times, and the murders are sometimes very bloody, and quite original. The journalist’s, at the beginning of the film, is one of the best I’ve seen this year, if not the coolest. Let’s add the look of the murderous pumpkin which is very successful. It’s really disgusting.

An Old-Fashioned Look

Clearly, Harding loves the style of 1990s horror movies. His previous opus, Making Monsters, is another example.

In Carved, he sets the action in 1993, before the advent of mobile phones. Honestly, it was so much better for horror movies…

Thus, the characters cannot be in a supposed area where there is no signal. And also, it is impossible for the characters to simply contact the cops. So no need to put in stupid cops unable to defeat a fruit. Apparently, the pumpkin is a fruit…

The image represents the era well, with a less precise finish than what we see now with 4K and more. But it retains the quality of the modern image. At times, Harding uses images filmed by the journalist, in 4:3, typical of television at the time.

The 1990s look can also be seen in the characters. For example, at the time, it went without saying that every horror movie had its old fool. Here, it’s the father of one of the teenagers who plays this role limited in screen time, but important at a specific moment in the story. That said, this character is unpleasant and doesn’t fit in very well nowadays. Carved would have benefited from not having him.

A Little More…

Obviously, we know how the movie will end after 2 minutes. The plot remains very classic and it doesn’t revolutionize anything. But Carved fulfills expectations well. It’s entertaining, the murders are well crafted and sometimes enjoyable and the action is captivating.

And since it’s clearly a movie for Halloween – not only does it come out a few days before the holiday, but it takes place during a pumpkin carving contest – we’re not trying to rack our brains, but rather to have a good time. And the objective is achieved.

So I suggest you watch it to have a nice evening in this season of the dead.

Trailer