Helloween (2025) review – Ronan Summers shines in this campy B-movie

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out British indie horror movie Helloween (2025).

Remember The 2016 Killer Clowns?

Helloween takes place during the 2016 Killer Crown craze that I am sure most of you remember. It consisted of groups of people (re: dunces) dressing up as demented clowns and scaring random, unsuspecting members of the public. The whole thing kicked off in Green Bay, Wisconsin, probably due to a cheese shortage or something, but ended up spreading worldwide. Well, at least in the West, anyway.

Some of these clowns would find themselves messing with the wrong people and having their painted faces stomped in by angry civilians. Tragically, one 16 year old even earned himself a free ride to the mortuary during an incident in Pennsylvania. What was, initially, assumed to be the only recorded case of a killer clown actually, well, killing somebody. Eventually turned out to be the opposite, as the victim was the clown himself.

Send in the clowns

Helloween returns to that era as the UK is gripped by killer clown sightings. Determined to get to the bottom of it. A criminal psychiatrist, Dr Marks (Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott), and a journalist, John Parker (Michael Paré), team up to investigate.

The pair believe that the sightings may have some connection to a demented, clown-faced spree killer called Carl Cane (Ronan Summers). Cane is currently locked up in a maximum security psychiatric facility but is he managing to spread his influence beyond its walls? The team are tasked with getting to the bottom of the mystery before the clowns manage to wreak havoc.

This movie comes courtesy of director Phil Claydon, who was also responsible for the satirical comedy-horror film Lesbian Vampire Killers. I remember seeing posters for that movie everywhere back in 2009. In fact, I lived just a few doors away from a bus-stop with a huge advertisement for it that didn’t seem to change for over a year.

Claydon has taken a big departure from those light satirical horror vibes into something altogether less comedic. With that being said, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that Helloween takes itself all that seriously. This is pure, unadulterated, B-movie fun and I am here for it. This film is completely unashamed to be almost comic-book levels of camp.

Killer clowns are back and so are B-Movies!

Let me be perfectly honest with you for a second. I am developing some serious fatigue with the abundance of deep, analogous horror doing the rounds at the moment. There’s only so many movies like Hallow Road, Descendent, and The Twin I can take before it starts to get a bit old.

“Sometimes I don’t want to have to dissect a plot and wonder whether this movie will be my next Ending Explained 4,000 word epic. Sometimes I just want to enjoy some mindless horror!”

Sometimes I don’t want to have to dissect a plot and wonder whether this movie will be my next Ending Explained 4,000 word epic. Sometimes I just want to enjoy some mindless horror!

I can’t help but feel like Helloween kind of came along at a good time, for me. It’s a horror movie with no airs and graces. It’s perfectly content to be exactly what it is – a fun b-movie. From Ronan Summers’ delightfully theatrical and over-the-top performance as Cane to the slightly ridiculous twist ending which you will definitely see coming but is still a lot of fun.

This movie took me back to a time when I would head to the video rental shop with my mum and pick out a horror movie that I was far too young to be watching. Grab some friends and some popcorn and have a great time. Helloween just wants to entertain and I, for one, am grateful for that. With all of that being said, you should know what to expect, here.

Slow to start but hits its stride halfway through

This movie wastes no time establishing its characters. Cane is an absolute psychopath who went on a killing spree as a child, ala Michael Myers in the 2007 Halloween remake. You are going to be seeing the influence of that movie, among other horror classics, throughout Helloween.

He’s spent the majority of his life in a maximum security facility but is still, evidently, managing to convey his madness to the outside world. Dr Marks puts two and two together and links the spate of demented clown appearances to the king of demented clowns that just so happens to reside in her hospital.

“Helloween is a throwback to an era where horror didn’t need to be pretentious, it just needed to be entertaining.”

As Marks gets closer to uncovering the mystery, she risks bringing her work home with her, if you know what I mean. Helloween ebbs and flows between a few different horror archetypes before finally settling in to an almost cat-and-mouse style thriller. While the opening is quite slow, maybe a bit too slow, and very character driven. The pace ups about half way in and the film hits its stride.

Helloween has taken a lot of inspiration from said comic book style stories in that its plot is very driven by its lead bad guy. I mean, sure, we have the whole good vs. bad aspect and the protagonist’s investigation into the events taking place. But this is one of those movies that really shines when its villain is chewing up screen time.

Summers’ Cane is a mix of Mark Hamill’s legendary Joker portrayal with a bit of Heath Ledger, a dash of Jim Carrey’s Riddler, and a smidge of pantomime style eccentricity thrown in for good measure.

A legitimately compelling villain!

I wouldn’t say Cane is all that original of a character because the influences are so apparent. But he is still fiendishly entertaining and Summers does a fantastic job of bringing him to life. The actor’s voice-over experience obviously pays dividends as Summers’ delivery is both eloquent and enjoyably over-the-top. One thing all B-movies need is a memorable villain and I think Cane ticks that box really well.

“Summers’ Cane is a mix of Mark Hamill’s legendary Joker portrayal with a bit of Heath Ledger… and a smidge of pantomime style eccentricity thrown in for good measure.”

The comic-book leanings are also apparent in the aesthetics of the film. Awful Tubi movies have corrupted my mind so I was expecting Helloween to look extremely low budget but it really doesn’t. The neon colour palette and decent cinematography do a lot to keep this movie feeling polished. This is supported by some solid acting from everyone involved.

Summers is a highlight, Michael Paré is, obviously, a veteran and on top form, and I am looking forward to seeing more from Megan Marszal in the future. I thought she displayed some serious potential as Marks’ daughter Alice.

Special shoutout to the makeup department on this film, as well. The clown stuff looks great but it was the hair and makeup itself that impressed me. Low budget horror normally consists of slapping some hair moose in and calling it a day. The characters here looked positively glam.

On the downside, I think some people might have their expectations dashed when it comes to gore. Helloween isn’t nearly as violent and bloody as I imagined it would be. In fact, it is seriously restrained in that department, particularly for a b-movie.

The story is a bit underdeveloped, there are a number of plot-holes, the first half does drag a fair bit, and there are a few unanswered questions and logic fails. With that being said, I really enjoyed this film.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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