Michael Varrati built the logistics of his career by working in the independent horror genre. You may have seen his name in the credits of noteworthy releases including Tales of Poe, Sins of Dracula, Flesh for the Inferno and Grindsploitation 4. He’s also made money (honey) writing Christmas movies for television that star Chevy Chase, Melissa Joan Hart, Dean Cain and Denise Richards. In the last two years, however, he’s devoted a substantial amount of time to developing his own projects; as seen with short films He Drinks and All Sales Final. His latest title, A Halloween Trick, released exclusively on Dekkoo last week, and I was fortunate enough to receive a screener for review. I’m all about seeing more LGBT talent in front of and behind the camera in every category of film, but I’m especially excited to see it more often in the genre I call home. Here’s the thing – I truly believe Michael Varrati is going to be the visionary that brings LGBT horror to the forefront of VOD markets. His level of production and professionalism are way above standard, and he’s able to create stories that are fun and flirty while still capturing the essence of horror (and in this case – Halloween). His projects force you to take its characters seriously because gone are the stereotypical cliches of queer culture. Instead, you’re met with a realistic story that’s easy on the eyes and covered in blood.
A Halloween Trick is, of course, written and directed by Michael Varrati. His story finds a young, quiet woman constantly woken up in the dead of night by her noisy neighbor. Often, she thinks he’s in trouble – due to the banging and moans coming through the wall – and hurdles herself next door to make the save; only to find him in moments just after climax. In the days leading up to Halloween, his sexual antics get louder and louder… until one night, they stop. Revenge is a dish best served hot and piping, like tea, but with a fuckboy who has so many previous partners – the killer could be anyone. It could even be someone closer than he thinks. Produced by Varrati and Brandon Kirby with executive producers Derek Curl and Brian Sokel, A Halloween Trick stars Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley, Tales of Halloween), Ben Baur (Hunting Season), Matt Pascua (Where We Go from Here), Daniel Plotner (Euphoria) and Sean Keller (The Capture). Andrew J. Ceperley served as composer, cinematographer and editor with mask design and blood effects created by Vander Von Odd (Dragula). Shot by June Gloom Productions in association with We Make Movies, A Hallwoeen Trick is now on Dekkoo – the streaming service for gay men. A Halloween Trick is visually flawless and I struggled to find any error in its design and execution, which I never did. If it was a feature length project, it would no doubt be scooped up by a big-time distributor/studio and sent to theaters around the country. A Halloween Trick is one of the best produced, best looking short films to come out this year. Hell, even the killer is fabulous and dapper.
I fell in love with A Halloween Trick because it feels like a horror version of the hit sitcom Will & Grace. Tiffany Shepis and Ben Baur have great chemistry together on screen, and the shenanigans and miscommunications shared between them played-in well to the soft comedy highlighting the story in this film. Even the supporting characters came together (what?) in a really valuable way to keep the allure and interest going strong whenever Shepis and Baur weren’t on screen together. Sure, the eye candy that is displayed throughout this thirteen minute movie is also invaluable, but the acting chops on all of these actors and the way they worked off each other in this film is probably its greatest asset. Anyone can write a good script, but you need the talent to bring it to life. That happened here. So, this was lightning in a bottle, and a formula I pray that Michael Varrati can capture again in the future. The only reason I’m not giving A Halloween Trick a perfect score is because it was a little low on the horror scale for me. The greatest holiday of them all as a timeline and one bloody murder stood alongside a drama-comedy of epic proportions and the other genre won. But if you haven’t noticed by now – this is a freaky, hysterical revenge story with a stunning cast and an uber-talented crew. I could watch this every Halloween season for numerous reasons, and I highly encourage you to check this one out if you’re a Dekkoo subscriber.
Final Score: 9/10.
