Anthology antics in anticipation for All Hollows Eve assisting attention to assertive, aggressive antagonists are attributed to an abundance of holiday affection in October.

10/31 Part 3 is an anthology film in the fairly new horror trilogy. I wasn’t a fan of part one but the second installment was an improvement. Is the third film a trick or a treat?

It starts by setting the tone with four faux trailers, and witty satires on the clichés of subgenres. Night of the Halloweenies is about a group of friends throwing a Halloween party when a Zombie virus breaks out. Radio Tower Road is about a woman who talks on the phone while driving on a dark lonely road. Her husband is attacked by zombies as is she. Candy Killer looks like a parody and homage to the Halloween franchise. A Stranger’s Treat is about the homicidal spirit of a woman.

Jennifer Nangle returns as the host introducing the segments in Malvolia’s Monster Marathon vignettes. I like the music for the introduction accompanied by Halloween iconography.

House of the Mummy is first. Wes argues with his ex-wife about the occupancy issue of the house the use to live in together. Wes is decorating it for his House of Horrors. While out shopping at a Halloween store he comes across a Mummy dummy but he’s told it’s not for sale. When he inevitably brings it home he learns the hard way it’s Cursed. It has forced humour with running gags like how running a house of horrors is confused for a house of whores. Some humour works like how people can’t tell the difference between fake or “real” violence. The gore effects are impressive too. I liked it because of the conclusion.

The Locksmith is the second story about new homeowners moving in when they get a surprise visit. A silent masked killer stalks people one by one in an homage to Friday The 13th. The use of coloured lights and fun rapid camera movements like zooms and pans give it a sense of high energy. Its full of genuinely shocking jump scares and kill scenes with more impressive gore.

Old Man Gross is the third story about a group of friends who just finished trick or treating trying to decide what to do for the rest of Halloween night. They decide to prank the local titular nasty old man. What could go wrong? The production value, the acting, and the gore aren’t as good as the first 2 stories. It’s more unintentionally funny. The gore looks like a mix of jello and pie filling then convincing blood and guts. The killer comes off as a Devil’s Reject Firefly family member Cosplayer then a menacing threat.

Hack in the Box is the fourth story about a group of girls who want to open a mysterious spooky Jack in the Box. The puppetry and gore effects are very good, possibly the best of the bunch. The actors have massive chemistry too.

Overall, each short film of 10/31 Part 3 is highly enjoyable but they lack variety, mostly slashers. In a film with this particular structure, one excepts short films that have different directors and/or writers to cover a wider array of subgenres like other Anthology franchises like Creepshow, VHS, or ABC’s of Death. It’s the best of this trilogy, so I’d recommend it for spooky season. And remember, this film is a treat, no tricks.