On Halloween evening in Salem, Mass, Paige (Geena Santiago) prepares for her final theater show as a witch being burned at the stake before heading off to New York City, not anticipating the poisoning of tourists visiting the town through a hand print to sit in the audience. When one of the tourists vomits up bile and drops dead after Paige recites a monologue about cursing the village for her character's wrongful murder, the other out-of-towners want revenge -- especially when more of them have diseased hands and puke up bile, further adding to the body count -- pursuing her and her stage cast / friends. Paige couldn't envision what Turner (Jeff Ryan) has to admit, though. The 66 minute low budget horror comedy plays completely as a light-hearted (if ultra-violent and very exaggerated) romp. Salem itself gets plenty of "star treatment" as a backdrop for the zany happenings which include Paige and company trying to hole up in a hotel by kidnapping, rope-tying, and water splashing a bellhop and hoping to convince Civil War reinactors (led by Louis Cancelmi, who take their roles quite seriously) to protect them with their muskets and swords. Unfortunately, Devin (Scott Swayze) gets run over by a truck driven by one of the tourist nuts (with skeleton bullhead horns attached to the hood) and Margie (Alexandra Dietrich) sacrifices herself to the mob, with one of them stabbing her. Turner's sister, Triss (Destry Allyn Spielberg), wants to be part of their gang but is too often rejected for being a bit weird and clingy...and she steals Turner's scooter all the time. Charlie (Luke Deardorff) is the stage manager and director trying to help lead Paige to safety, all the while, avoiding Cancelmi's Giles' "call to arms" since he's a pacifist and completely against weapons.
I think very few viewers will buy Paige as a legit curse machine, and the director of this little film points out the hand wounds quite often. There is an emphasis on zoom closeups and the performances are all quite over the top as extra punch in making sure we know that nothing in Mass Hysteria (2019) is to be taken at all seriously. Even the graphic violence is shot very "cute" and even as there is ongoing violence, never does the director or performances indicate we should ever be disturbed or horrified by what we see. I don't know if that will alter perceptions towards Mass Hysteria, but I assume for some it might be a dealbreaker. I probably look at this film as a quaint little kickstarter to the Halloween season if you want to squeeze in that first-time-viewing into your lineup for the month of October or perhaps as a September fresher. My advice would be that if you are including Mass Hysteria into your October lineup, maybe do so early, within the first few days. I think it is harmless, silly fun, nothing too memorable but I've seen a lot worse. At the very least, this does look like everyone had a good time, and that can rub off on some viewers. It did me. 2.5/5
Included in the film is a religious fanatic who becomes a ringleader and a friendly cop succumbing to the witch's curse fervor before vomiting up his supper and collapsing in a heap. Oh, and it would appear Triss really liked Paige...or covets her role on the stage.
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