I don't even really want to waste much of my brain power on it, but Night Before Halloween, which debuted on syfy tonight, went back to the body count curse route. A "curse of the flies" based off a prank sets off on Bailee Madison (of Are You Afraid of the Dark (2010)) and her Hugh school friends. This prank left a girl in a coma while the initial initiator of it eventually dies anyway. The common special effect is a swarm of flies moving about actively pursuing Madison and her friends (using "friends" loosely since most of them turn on each other), while each tries to stay ahead of them and alive. One must die before Halloween strikes so the others live. Kids die, the police are involved, and the flies form various shapes like a snake, extended arms, and this line that swarm towards intended victims. The CGI flies are the film's featured villain, and that sinks this Halloween Eve curse hands outing. The young cast spend their time trying to figure out how to upend the flies and their curse, with the ugly side of survival emerging when friendship means less than continuing to breathe. Nicely shot, at least. The flies are funny, not scary. Bailee reveals a side of her that is at least an interesting wrinkle on the usual final girl innocent...involving a suicide pact that isn't followed through. But the monster of the film isn't about to haunt your mind or produce nightmares afterward.
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