The Jester is a 2023 American horror film directed by Colin Krawchuk, and the cast includes Lelia Symington, Jenna Hellmuth, Delaney White, Matt Servitto, Justin Timpane, Michael Sheffield, Ken Arnold, Sam Lukowski, and Cory Okouchi.
The film follows two estranged half-sisters, Jocelyn (Delaney White) and Emma (Lelia Symington), who find themselves haunted by a mysterious entity on Halloween after their father's sudden death.
As they confront this entity, their strained family dynamics and differing memories of their father come into sharp focus, challenging their bond and their survival against The Jester.
The film begins with the girls father John (Matt Servitto), who becomes the first victim of The Jester, trying to reconnect with his daughter, Emma and when he fails to mend their strained relationship, he is manipulated into a tragic end.
The story then shifts to Emma attending her father’s funeral, where she encounters her estranged step-sister, Jocelyn, and their stark differences quickly become apparent as they part ways, but on Halloween night, The Jester returns, unleashing chaos on both sisters and deepening their already strained relationship.
The Jester is a silent masked assassin, combining elements of a few other well known horror villains and his distinctive look with his top hat, creepy mask, and orange suit which tries to create an unsettling presence, yet his motives and nature remain vague.
Is he is a mythical being or a demon, or does he just have some supernatural powers?
It is never really confirmed either way apart from a brief explanation provided in the film's final act.
Leila Symington is a bright spot as Emma and Delaney White’s portrayal of Jocelyn is more straightforward but still engaging, and the chemistry between the two actresses is a key strength,
The Jester is a very mixed and while it may not break new ground in the horror genre, it offers some interesting and strong moments.
The budget was clearly small to be fair, but overall they did OK with it.
It's what I would call a bit of a dumb movie but somewhat fun at times and is one to watch with your mates over a few drinks as there's a bit of gore and some decent humor too.
It could have been so much more though, but with too many moments of mediocrity in between the bright spots, and a run time that goes on for too long, you are left wondering what could have been.
I really like the idea of a villain haunting a family until they solve a problem, but the story felt like random scenes instead of a smooth, connected story but maybe with a bigger budget and a more cohesive story, who knows?
But it's just ends up a bit too formulaic, but it's not one of the worst I have ever seen!
Many reviews are calling it a Terrifier knockoff, and I see that a bit, but I think we have more to The Jester as the premise is more interesting and has a lot more going for it potentially, but it just didn't deliver on that, nor did it deliver on what makes Terrifier movies so fun.
The movie is based off a Youtube short version if you want to watch that instead/as well.
I can see why it has such a low rating, and maybe I am too nice but I think it had some decent things going for it, and with a bigger budget and better script I can see the potential of the idea behind the film.
Unfortunately the interesting idea was not executed as well as it should have been.
I would rate this film 50% on my horror movie nerd-o-meter.
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