Review: ‘Night of the Reaper’ fits in with such classic ’80s slashers as ‘He Knows You’re Alone’

Writer/director Brandon Christensen has built an impressive filmography. Z, Superhost, and The Puppetman are among his best works. And now you can count Night of the Reaper as an equally chilling addition to his resume. The film, co-written by Ryan Christensen, evokes a throwback charm reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Halloween and Scream—it even features “Don’t Fear the Reaper” over the end credits! While it owes plenty to ’80s slashers, it carves out a comfortable place in the current slasher renaissance and strikes mystery, intrigue, and mayhem in equal doses.

Jessica Clement plays Deena, a college student who returns to her hometown for the weekend. When her best friend Haddie (Savannah Miller) gets sick with a stomach flu, she convinces Deena to babysit for her. An unsolved murder of babysitter Emily (Summer H. Howell) — in a very When a Stranger Calls setup — haunts the town, eventually roping Deena into a bloody rampage. But things are far more twisted than she could have expected, and she finds herself the unlikely Final Girl with a scheme of her very own. A killer wearing a skull mask (played by David Feehan) stalks the dark streets, hiding around every corner and sending a trembling quake throughout the townspeople. Sheriff Rodney Arnold (Ryan Robbins) has a personal stake in the case and follows a series of clues (starting with a mysterious VHS tape) that takes him down a winding path.

Night of the Reaper fits next to modern fare like It Follows and It Comes at Night in its ability to build tension through subtle scares and a simmering mood. It uses that classic-feeling template to elicit fear that curdles the blood. As the film vaults to its finale, Deena proves to be smartly in tune with the killer’s motives and adeptly surprises the viewer with a diabolical plan.

Christensen shows a great love for the slasher genre, from the peek-a-boo prowling to the big third-act reveal, which greatly benefits his own modern-made perspective. It’s guaranteed to become a cult classic for years to come. With cinematographer Clayton Moore at hand, the film feels exactly like it belongs next to other ’80s essentials such as He Knows You’re Alone and Alone in the Dark. In the age when filmmaking drenches audiences in nostalgia for yesteryear, Night of the Reaper stands as an important milestone that spurs the right amount of wistfullness for our childhoods when it was an uncertain and unruly free-for-all.