The Haunted Casino: Movie Review

 

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when making a good horror movie that can draw in a large audience and be appreciated by critics. From themes to actors, images, to the title and the musique, each element counts. The best element of a horror movie should be a perfect blend of thrilling moments of fear and comical relief, ushering viewers to a sensational climax. 

 

What does an average viewer expect from casino movies? Glamour? Luxury? Suspense? Complex characters? Tension? It is a specific genre that, mixed with the wrong themes, could be a total failure and waste of money. 

 

The Haunted Casino is an interesting storyline directed by Charles Band and Domonic Muir. The movie is based on Matt Dragna, the main character of the movie, who inherits an old rundown casino from his late uncle. His close friends, including his girlfriend JJ, then decided to check out and investigate the casino. Perhaps they should have stayed home and played fun casino games at Bovada, but if they did, we wouldn’t have this scary movie!

 

At first, the movie is all love and light as the characters enjoy themselves in a casino setting. However, it gets dark as the movie unfolds, with the characters discovering violent and revenge-seeking spirits that haunt the casino. These are the spirits of ruthless Las Vegas mobster, Roy Donahue, and his devious right-hand man, Gil Wachetta. 

 

Now, the pertinent question that lingers in the movie is: Can Matthew and his friends survive an evening at the casino with these bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking ghosts?

 

In-Depth Review

Its well-written script, with shocking blood, gore and well-timed jump scares make The Haunted Casino a watchable movie for any fans of the horror genre. The first two-thirds of the movie are filled with dialogues and the audience is given the storyline behind the group with clear backgrounds of each character. However, the real interesting parts of the movie are not the dialogue but the scary ghosts. 

 

While the movie is about haunted casino ghosts, they barely show up until the midway point of the movie, but their sudden appearance saved the narrative. Disappointingly, while Sid Haig’s name is plastered all over the movie posters, he only appears in only a few scenes as the ghostly leader of the group, and he played his role to perfection. 

 

Even worse, Michael Berryman only got a few lines and never got the chance to do anything but look silly standing around with Haig. Thankfully, Robin Sydney, who featured in almost every Full Moon movie in the 2000s, was able to own the lead role as Mathew’s girlfriend JJ. Except for the few explosions of anger and swear words that seem unnatural, no one can put a fault on her character. 

 

Jessica Morris, who later starred in two more Full Moon’s films, The Dead Want Women, and Reel Evil, released in 2012, also appeared as Melissa. She played the role of a promiscuous slot girl, bringing all her star power to the movie. 

Despite an intriguing premise, the plot suffers from a lack of clarity and depth. The reasons behind the hauntings and the means to stop them remain vague, leaving viewers with unanswered questions. 

The Haunted Casino has its moments and a nostalgic charm for fans of Full Moon productions, but it struggles with pacing and character development. Most importantly, the film could have benefited from a tighter script and more screen time for its veteran actors.

On the other hand, the production design is decent enough given the film’s budget, and we can’t complain about the script given it is an independent movie. The Haunted Casino is a good choice for anyone who loves the Full Moon and wants to relax on a Friday night.

 

Indeed, there is no doubt that horror movies centered around a casino setting are always a favorite for watching a movie at home or with friends or family members. It is not hard to see why horror casino movies are appealing because the viewer is presented with a bizarre combination of fear and suspense with the luxury of a casino. 

 

Haunted Casino is action-packed and fast-paced and can be highly entertaining to both horror and movie viewers. The feeling of horror that many people seek when watching horror films is definitely achieved by this movie. 

 

When creating the mood for a horror movie, we are naturally drawn to darkness and creepiness, while casinos portray glitz and fun. In this movie, the two worlds clash, making the Haunted Casino quite interesting and engaging. 

 

The Haunted Casino also presents another noteworthy aspect besides the generally thrilling and exciting attraction. Its mood, mixing tension and suspense, makes it even more fitting for the theme of the movie. 

 

The unpredictability of the casino setting increases the unpredictability of what’s going to happen next, and this makes viewers even more curious about the events portrayed in the film. 

 

Finally, the excellent action sequences in this movie give a perfect touch to this adventurous and very amusing script with a good cast and originality. We believe this subgenre is a powerful horror of the year contender.