Who is Carl Cane? Well there are several answers to that which are unveiled in the latest Shogun Films production Helloween which has now arrived here in the UK on Digital and which was released earlier in September in the US. In the latest film from writer/director Phil Claydon (Lesbian Vampire Killers) we first meet Carl Cane at the age of 10 (played by the filmmakers son Brody Claydon) Now for me ‘creepy kids’ in horror movies always freak me out (which I guess is the whole point of them playing ‘creepy’) and Brody does a great job playing ‘creepy’ There is something so unsettling about a kid just staring at an adult, not talking. It gets even creepier when said ‘creepy kid’ is holding an axe on Halloween night. This 1996 set prologue does feel very much like the opening to John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween but this is of course on purpose and by design. Helloween straight from the start feels like and is a film made by fans of the horror genre. It wears this badge of honour throughout and I love it for that.

Flip forward to 2016 (which is the films present day) and we learn that Carl Cane has been incarcerated since that night in 1996 and is now under the supervision of psychologist Dr Ellen Marks (Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott) in a very creepy looking medical facility.  Then enter journalist John Parker (Michael Paré) who shows up on the trail of the story of a crazy clown cult which is building up huge momentum on the streets. John feels that Carl Cane is somehow running things but how can he be? He’s locked up?

The plot thickens!

Now in a film that runs for 80 minutes, there isn’t too much time for the plot to thicken but Helloween manages it wonderfully.  There is so much within this film that it could have been turned into a 2 hours plus film with sequels and prequels. Some of the marketing has said things along the lines of ‘Britain’s Terrifier’ and whilst I haven’t seen any of the Terrifier franchise I do think those films are super gory and Helloween isn’t that. Helloween doesn’t need to be filled with gore to hit its marks (and it does hit its marks, many times) Much of Helloween’s marketing also mentions ‘The Purge With Killer Clowns’ in fact that’s a way of talking about what I felt this film was that I have used myself and having now seen the film (twice) I do fully back up that Helloween is like ‘The Purge With Killer Clowns’ in fact a section of the film hits that with a bullseye and when I mentioned that Helloween packs a lot into its 80 minute run time.  I could happily have watched a full movie of just that section of the movie.  So if you see any mentions of Helloween, ‘its like The Purge with Clowns’, then I think that’s spot on! (The very first Purge movie, not so much the sequels)

But that’s enough comparisons, lets get back to just how much fun Helloween is, and it is fun. Its tightly paced, Its beautifully shot and to be honest this was something I noticed more the second time I watched the film. Having had my first viewing to experience the story, the performances and the music( which i really liked) , my second viewing was to see many of the things I may have missed or not focused on the first time, and I spent a lot of time with my second Helloween visit on viewing how great the cinematography is in Helloween.  its use of lighting, and in many cases lack of lighting which enhances this creepy world we are experiencing  and helps build the atmosphere. 

Performance wise, everyone’s having a blast in Helloween. The cast isn’t a huge cast, in fact looking at the IMDB page there are just 20 people listed in the cast but it doesn’t matter how many people are in a film, its whether the people in the film are doing a great job, and in Helloween they all are.  The main cast consists of cult icon and one of my favourite actors Michael Paré( John Parker), Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (Ellen Marks), Ronan Summers (Carl Cane), Caroline Wilde (Leah Marks) and Megan Marszal (Alice Marks)  This core group of characters do get most of the screen time within the movie and they are all a joy to watch especially the scenes involving the Marks family (Ellen, Leah and Alice) as they …………….well I wont spoil anymore of the plot, but its tense!

Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott delivers another great performance in her career and with home invasion Nemesis, more action orientated Renegades, and now horror Helloween under her belt. Jeanine is showcasing a different skillset with each film that she appears in. I’m very excited to see what she can do in spy thriller Knightfall which is due out at the start of 2026 also from Shogun Films.

I cant talk about Helloween without delving into the films main villain. Mr Carl Cane himself played by Ronan Summers. Carl Cane is so damn creepy and does feel like a great blend of many of our favourite cinematic villains. Part Joker, part Purge clown, part Bane and part Hannibal Lecter, Ronan blends all this (and im sure more) into crafting a very well spoken yet vicious character who wields his words as an adult in the same brutal manner as much as he wielded an axe when he was a child (played by Brody Claydon)  The scenes between Ronan Summers and Michael Paré are engrossing, as are the scenes with Ronan Summers and Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott.  Remember when i said Helloween packs a lot into its 80 minute run time. This is what I meant. 

Will Helloween be a film for everyone? Of course not. Not every film is. But if like to unwind at the end of the day with some snacks, drinks and the lights dimmed and treat yourself to a fun, popcorn film filled with craziness and entertaining movie goodness, then Helloween is definitely for you.  If you want to turn the brain off for around an hour and a half and watch a fun story play out made by filmmakers who love these type of genre movies then yes Helloween is for you.  If you want a gore filled feature filled with brutality then perhaps Helloween isnt for you, but there are enough films out there that will scratch that itch for you. For me, I wanted Helloween to be a fun film that made me smile, put me on edge and reminded me of many of the horror films I used to watch in my video store days.  and you know what, Helloween ticked all those boxes for me. I had a blast watching it (twice) and I hope you do too.

Helloween is out now on Digital Platforms and is headed for a UK bluray release from October 13th 2025.

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