In recent years, I have dealt with serious eye problems that almost caused me to go blind. Some people may find it strange that a film critic struggles with vision loss, seeing it as a twist of fate. Just days before surgery to fix the damage from a previous operation, I watched Avatar: The Way of Water in an IMAX theater.

During the movie, I realized that I might never see a 3D film again. While some people might prefer that, I felt a strong need to remember every visual detail of the experience. I wanted to hold on to it in case I lost my sight in one eye forever, and I still worried about my other eye being affected next.

This feeling of actively seeing to create memories stayed with me as I watched Blink. This touching yet entertaining film tells the story of the Pelletier family, who took their curious children on a global adventure. The parents aimed to give their kids unforgettable memories from their incredible experiences.

Unfortunately, the urgency of this trip is linked to events that will soon affect several children’s abilities to see these sights in the same way.

Blink tells the story of how Edith and Sébastien Pelletier planned a world trip with their children, three of whom have an incurable illness called retinitis pigmentosa. This condition will take away their sight over the next few years. Mia, the oldest child and only girl, is a book-loving pre-teen who loves to dance alone.

Léo, the oldest boy, leads his brothers and shows great determination. Colin, the middle child, is quiet and reserved, and Laurent, the youngest, experiences strong emotions and knows something is wrong but cannot understand what losing his sight means.

The opening scene shows the family in a northern area, trying to see the aurora borealis. At first, we hear the children’s complaints about not seeing the beautiful Northern Lights that the camera captures.

After the trip, Edith explains in an interview that three of her children have this eye condition that gradually takes away their sight, like an iris slowly closing. As the retina cells break down, their vision narrows until they eventually go completely blind.

The first loss is night vision. This changes our understanding of the children’s complaints and helps us connect with their struggles. Other scenes, like a stubborn game of soccer, show what these children are experiencing as their sight fades, helping us understand the parents’ desire to give their family unforgettable experiences.

The Pelletier family’s journey does not focus on what they are losing but on making the most of their time together. There is a saying inspired by Tennyson that suggests it is better to have seen and then become blind than never to have seen at all.

It is easy to interpret this adventure as a panic about disabilities, and some moments about how other senses might improve as sight goes away come close to romanticizing what these kids will face. However, the filmmakers, along with Edith and Sébastien, avoid falling into this trap.

The film does not shy away from moments of doubt or discomfort. Even though there is sadness about the trip’s purpose, there is always joy during their challenging journeys.

The skillful way of balancing these elements is not surprising when the names Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson appear in the credits. They previously worked together on the Oscar-winning film Navalny, with Roher as the director and Stenson as the editor.

As co-directors of Blink, they present the Pelletier family’s story with nuanced and sophisticated filmmaking that raises it above typical family dramas.

While not every moment of the trip is captured by a camera crew, viewers still experience stunning landscapes and dreamlike locations. The trip was partially based on a list of must-do activities, such as drinking juice on a camel and meeting monkeys.

The family checks off these experiences as they travel across continents, from jungles to deserts and mountains to valleys. They create deep memories for themselves while allowing viewers to share in their adventure.

Not everything goes as planned. The family faces challenges, like being cold on a hill in Nepal and getting stuck in a gondola. These moments add drama, revealing the children’s frustrations and the parents’ patience. The film invites viewers to share in the anxieties, knowing everything will turn out fine in the end.

However, in many ways, not everything works out perfectly. Just as darkness creeps in while they are in the gondola, the film gently reminds us that all the beautiful sights may soon be taken away from the children. On a deeper level, there is a meaningful commentary about human nature.

We celebrate the present while knowing that all will eventually be lost, whether from blindness or death. As people, we often manage to rise above the fear of loss and enjoy what is in front of us.

Perhaps it was the train travel or the brothers’ playful arguments that reminded me of Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited, another colorful journey filled with highs and lows experienced by a different family. Both films balance sadness and beauty, highlighting the wonders of the journey while acknowledging the underlying theme of loss that inspired the trip.

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Still from Blink (Credit: National Geographic)

This deeper understanding of what it means to live fully gives Blink its unique charm. It becomes more than just a family travel story. Not everyone can experience such a journey, and no one would trade their children’s blindness for a reason to travel.

As viewers, we share the Pelletier family’s ups and downs. We recognize what drives their desire to show the world, reminding ourselves to seize the moment and create good memories whenever we can.

Haunt Season is an unusual movie. It is not a cheap slasher film that you can ignore because of its weak characters and excessive fake blood. It is smarter and has more depth than that.

The story involves a serial killer targeting the cast of a haunted house attraction. The killer takes victims one by one in a bloody way. This idea does not seem very original or easy to execute well.

However, Jake Jarvi’s film combines many different parts. While not every part fits well together, some aspects are valuable and deserve credit for their effort. This movie may not please crowds at Halloween gatherings, nor will it be a challenge for those who want to scare themselves this season.

Instead, it may take a dedicated horror fan to enjoy Haunt Season fully. Knowing the genre well helps viewers see beyond the obvious mistakes that less experienced viewers might notice and realize that something new is happening here, even if it is not focused on scaring its audience.

What Is ‘Haunt Season’ About?

Haunt Season is really a slice-of-life film. The movie starts with a typical opening kill that sets the story in motion. It should build suspense, but the first scene happens so quickly that it fails to create real fear. The story picks up when it introduces the main character, Matilda (Sarah Elizabeth).

She recently graduated from drama school and is unsure about her career. To make some money, she takes on the role of the screaming girl in lingerie who gets killed by Danny (Adam Hinkle), one of the haunt’s longest-running members and the best friend of Bradford (Stephen Kristof), the leader of the haunted house. This role usually belongs to Taylor (Ana Dragovich), who the whole team believes has disappeared.

What the characters do not know, but we do, is that Taylor was the first victim, killed by the masked murderer. We meet various characters, including Celeste (Cydney Moody), who shares half-nude pictures of herself in haunt makeup with her fans on Instagram, and Rosemary (Katelin Stack), who takes on a caring role. Mika (Tyra Renee) grows increasingly worried about Taylor’s disappearance.

On Matilda’s first night, the killer returns to the haunted house and attacks one of the cast members just before it opens. You would expect a typical formula from here: the team realizes they are being hunted, more people die, and there is a big showdown where the final girl defeats the killer.

However, Haunt Season does not follow this path easily. The kill scenes, chase scenes, and gore happen quickly, as if the filmmaker wants to finish these parts to focus on the main story. Strangely, the film takes its time with character moments outside of danger, almost as if Haunt Season does not want to be a horror movie.

Just as Sean Baker shows the everyday lives of sex workers, Jarvi wants to show the realities of being part of a haunt cast. Matilda lives in her car, and we see her in peaceful scenes, like brushing her teeth by the roadside.

The film includes long discussions about women’s control over their bodies, the sexism in Halloween traditions and horror themes, and the fear of leaving college to face the world. These topics feel strange when paired with scenes of a person getting killed by a pumpkin-dressed killer, but they still have a deep and honest quality.

‘Haunt Season’ Works as a Drama But Not as a Slasher Movie

Haunt Season ultimately does not succeed because it lacks a strong plot. Like Scream, the first part relies on a murder mystery. It is clear that one of the team is the killer, but you do not expect to confirm your guesses until the last 15 minutes.

However, Haunt Season reveals the killer about halfway through. Because it does not build up tension and fear, the unknown identity of the killer is the only thing that makes it scary. From that point, it becomes a matter of waiting for the characters to realize that the blood and bodies are not fake.

There are times when clueless haunt members talk to the killer without knowing it. Normally, these moments create tension, but due to the film’s short length, the characters realize they are in danger only seconds before they die. The final 30 minutes feel tedious, as you watch the predictable events unfold.

You know exactly what will happen next. Some kill scenes are entertaining, like when victims get beheaded with shears, but the camera cuts away just before the bloody climax. Just as the action gets exciting, the camera hesitates, teasing the audience with gore, which becomes annoying after the second kill.

The film includes many references to horror that fans will enjoy. The direction and style of one chase scene remind viewers of Drew Barrymore’s opening in Scream. It is clear that the creators of Haunt Season love Halloween and horror, but this passion does not translate into a solid horror story.

The killer and other motives are not developed enough to create real fear, making this part of the film feel like unnecessary filler as you wait to return to Matilda, Mika, V, and Celeste. In short, Haunt Season is a good character drama but a poor slasher film.

‘Haunt Season’ Has a Cast That Makes Their Characters Feel Real

The cast of Haunt Season makes the film enjoyable to watch. Each character is charming in a way that disarms you because you know one of them must be the killer. Sarah Elizabeth makes Matilda instantly likable, similar to Kristen Stewart with her awkward yet charming personality.

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Still from Haunt Season (Credit: Epic Pictures)

Matilda’s anxiety about life after college and her fear of failing as an actor make her an empathetic character. Her friendships with the other women in the haunt feel genuine, and it is this bond that makes you want to see the killer defeated. Matilda also has a very memorable scream.

Haunt Season has an interesting concept. If it did not try so hard to be a typical slasher horror film, it could have been something new and exciting. It shines when it focuses on characters having ordinary conversations with fake blood and Frankenstein makeup on their faces.

A party scene after the haunt shows conversations about masculinity and the disappointment of college friends who take paths you are too scared to follow. However, it tries to be a slasher movie, so we must judge it by those standards. As a slasher film, with its thin plot and weak killer, Haunt Season does not meet expectations.