The Curse of Bridge Hollow

I should probably admit up front that I'm not a big fan of Halloween and all the "spooky" mumbo-jumbo that we are bombarded with every October. Needless to say, that means I have extremely low expectations when sitting through Halloween films for kids. When my wife convinced me to watch The Curse of Bridge Hollow, I'm sad to say it lived down to those expectations. The story here is extremely straightforward and feels familiar, like one you've seen in a hundred other movies like this one. It's the familiar trope of an evil spirit brought to town by an ancient curse, and a magical spell that must be cast to stop the attack. In fact, it has a lot in common with Hocus Pocus, so fans of that movie might have a good time with this one as well. I'm not one of those people, but I'm married to one.

My biggest struggle with this movie is that it lacks humor. It is fighting for some laughs, and only got me chuckling a few times. Most of the humor that worked for me was exclusively because I like Rob Riggle's goofy personality, and some of John Michael Higgins' schtick. Nothing Marlon Wayans did was even slightly humorous to me. Priah Ferguson plays his daughter and she ends up being more of an annoying nag than anything else. I don't really understand why we're expected to laugh at Kelly Rowland making vegan treats that everyone finds disgusting, or at the paranormal kids club, or even at Lauren Lapkus and her exaggerated accent. The film has some slightly scary images (in particular some homicidal clowns) but it's not enough to satisfy real horror fans, just enough to make it a tough sell for young kids. I can't really recommend The Curse of Bridge Hollow, but I will say if it looks like something you'll like then you're probably right, and if it looks bad to you then just skip it.

RATED 8/10 Language: English Source: Netflix RECOMMENDED

First of all, this is horror movie for kids at the same time it is not childish. Watchable for adults and recommended for kids.

The cast is good and story is OK. The CG work is adequate for the movie. The story is bit templated and predictable but it was overcome by the entertaining screenplay. There is no dull moment and I really loved the skeleton fight sequence.

There is no scary sequences and beware of the arachnophobia. Best movie to enjoy with family in weekend.

--repeating for 600 Chars There is no scary sequences and beware of the arachnophobia. Best movie to enjoy with family in weekend.

Look, this movie is a whole lot like others of it's kind, ehm Goosebumps. So what? You can like them both. This is a fun, family Halloween movie that does better than most and is worth a watch.

The performances are good and most of the visual effects look pretty cool. It's got a little lag in the middle, but it's still not horribly grinding.

It's creepy enough but still fun and most of the humor lands. It's not going to do anything you haven't already seen before, but if you're like me and always looking for new, quality family flicks to add to your Halloween watchlist, you could do a whole lot worse.

Probably not the best person to write a movie review. I watch a lot of movies but people seem to be much pickier than myself.

I enjoyed the movie. It is a funny movie. It's just a fun Halloween movie. Doesn't try to be serious or push some hidden message. Just a story with some humor and some action. If you are looking for something deeper this isn't your movie. If you just want a entertaining movie then try this one.

Marlon Wayans is his usual self. Self-deprecating with flashes of sass and comebacks.

Don't let the "professional" critics ruin the movie for you. Not sure anyone reads or cares what they think. Try it out. If it isn't your liking then okay. I'm glad I didn't listen to them and tried it.

I really can't believe all of these bad ratings. This was a great kids Halloween film and it was actually scary in parts and I'm an adult. There were some laugh out loud scenes as well as good special effects and jumps. It is an all around entertaining family film. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Marlon Wayans was great in the lead and had great chemistry with the actress who plays his daughter and of course his wife. Scenes with spiders and clowns literally were creepy. I jumped in several parts and was surprised by that given it is a children's film. Those who are bashing it need to lighten up. What did you expect....an Oscar worthy film?