Come Halloween and Netflix has its own lineup of Halloween movies that they expect the audience to watch. Given the current obsession of online streaming services to outproduce all their competitors, which results in prioritizing quantity over quality, this new release also turns up in that same line. The Curse of Bridge Hollow is simply trying to have some harmless fun. The problem is, it is not trying hard enough.
It feels like the movie simply exists to fill in the category come Halloween, and serve up the algorithm for its subscribers. You count the characters and spot one known face in it, sprinkle some injurious amount of countryside horror, and lo- there you have another Halloween comedy! Read along to find what truly occurs in that rushed climax that spins the end into somewhat of a cliffhanger for the next installment.
Will there be a part 2 of The Curse of Bridge Hollow? Read ahead to find more, only if you have watched the film. This piece will contain major spoilers! Happy reading!
The Curse of Bridge Hollow Plot summary and Movie Synopsis:
The Curse of Bridge Hollow begins with Sydney (Priah Ferguson, whom you might recall from Stranger Things) who is moving into the town of Bridge Hollow with her parents Wayans and Kelly Rowland (played by Marlon Wayans & Kelly Rowland). It’s Halloween Season and turns out the place takes the proceedings a bit too seriously for comfort- all the houses in the neighborhood are decorated with grisly and morbid cutouts of zombies and ghosts. Her father, too cool for this obsession, is supposed to begin his term as a Science teacher in the local school. This means he spares no occasion to remind his daughter of the foolishness of this festival and how there is nothing called ghosts when Sydney says that she heard weird noises from the basement. Example? “It is science, not magic!” (pause) “It’s eureka not abracadabra!”
Nevertheless, it doesn’t take long for Sydney to discover an old chest hidden somewhere behind a wall in the attic. It hides a pumpkin mold, and the moment it is lit, something otherworldly permeates the scene. The spirit is transferred from one Halloween setup to the next, where the puppets come to life in no time. Sydney stumbles along the local kids’ paranormal club where she comes to know that her house is known to be haunted by the spirit of an infamous witch (played here by Nia Vardalos), who had once called and then banished a demonic force known as Stingy Jack. Sydney and his father- when they get the time away from the bickering between logic and magic, have to face off huge nasty spiders, and walking deads and trust each other in the process. Father is inspired enough to turn out his chainsaw massacre reference like a pro.
In the end, they learn the Latin spell with the help of the local principal (where the spirit enters Sydney’s father) who tells them that it has to be believed in order to survive. The predictable climax sets off in the house where Waynes saves Emily from Stingy Jack and finally the curse is broken. But as both father and daughter will know, that the town also takes Christmas very seriously. Moreover, the attic houses more secrets in store.
Movie Review:
Clocking just under 90 minutes, The Curse of Bridge Hollow is an uninspired, incurious mix of comedy and horror where neither wears itself seriously. For Halloween enthusiasts, especially kids, will probably love the decorations that are thrown across the film, ranging from nasty spiders to deadly clowns. The set pieces keep changing as these creatures attack the protagonists time and again and the repeatability slowly but surely grows stale. The performances can barely stretch themselves from the hackneyed characterizations where there is always a logical explanation for each and everything that occurs on the spot. It is harmless fun and it would have worked so much more if it had shown a little interest in the conflict.
There is not a single moment in The Curse of Bridge Hollow that feels interested in exploring the characters or where the central conflict is given any thought. Director Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Fantasy Island), working with a script by Todd Berger and Robert Rugan, is more interested in testing the possibility of a sequel perhaps- and bringing to life the many set decorations- all thanks to an evil spirit that was conveniently trapped in a locker to be opened just on Halloween eve. The Curse of Bridge Hollow also seems to be keener on fighting humans with skeletons and big spiders, with questionable CGI choices. After a point, the hurried plot tends to become burdensome and annoying. If you are up for some mindless fun this Halloween Season and looking for something light and easy, The Curse of Bridge Hollow might just suit your appetite.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow Movie Ending, Explained:
Does Stingy Jack take over Bridge Hollow?
As the possessed clowns and bats all hurl around the place where the mayor (played by Lauren Lapkus with a ridiculous New England accent) is all set to light up this year’s Stingy Jack, tensions arise. The electricity goes off and the townsfolk are terrified. Sydney and his father reach the place to search for her mother Emily who has a bakery store outlet there for Halloween but do not find her there. Stingy Jack gets the power from the cat and gains the power. The crowd goes berserk as Sydney and his father head back to take hold of the lit pumpkin at her house, which is required to complete the curse. If that is not unlit by the end of midnight then the spirit would multiply even more.
Back home Emily is preparing for a quieter night when she is attacked by Stingy Jack and is almost taken off into the other realm until both Sydney and her father overrule the curse. For doing so, both must spell out the curse of Hawthorne and while doing so, fully believe in it while doing so. As Sydney keeps the bats at bay, her father rescues Emily from Stingy Jack who almost takes her in. At the final shot, he spells the Latin verse out loud, from his heart, and in this way, diminishes the course altogether. It just strikes 12 in the clock and all the other spirits leave as well. The town is saved from the curse.
Are there more curses in Bridge Hollow? Will there be a Part 2?
The next scene shows Sydney gathered around her parents and her friends reminiscing about what a crazy adventure it was. Emily realizes that life is too small to live on gluten-free and veg-baked goods. Sydney’s father then gives her the pumpkin mold to keep back in the lock and keeps the keys with her. He trusts her to keep it safely now. Just as they are about to leave the basement, they stumble upon the same place where they found the locker in the first place. They see there are multiple such lockers kept there. Together they scream- “Oh, Hell no!”
