One of Netflix’s newest release films, Hubie Halloween is a comedy/horror film, emphasis on comedy, centered around a good-natured eccentric who tries to protect his town.
The film’s main cast features Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, June Squibb, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider and Maya Rudolph.
Set in the town of Salem, MA, town oddball Hubert “Hubie” Dubois (Sandler) tries to keep the citizens safe on Halloween with an escaped psycho (Schneider) on the loose. Despite his efforts, nobody takes him seriously and he is written off as paranoid, even when real danger starts to come to Salem.
The movie is definitely an Adam Sandler movie; it’s got the dim protagonist, comedic storyline and almost absolute lack of seriousness. The main character is relatable to a degree—plenty of people are made fun of like Hubie is and I found his courage and his bravery to keep being himself despite all the torment he’s put through commendable.
However, many of the characters were a bit too dim for my taste; Hubie is a child trapped in a grown man’s body and while it’s sort of adorable, when you add it to the dimness of some of the other characters, it gets annoying. This stupidity was fun to laugh at, but I found myself having a hard time enjoying some parts of the movie because there was too much stupid weighing it down.
The plot was also that of a typical feel-good comedy, but throughout the whole movie, I felt like Chekhov’s gun was never used. Chekhov’s gun is a plot device with the basis of “if a gun is shown, then it will have to eventually be fired.” A huge Chekhov’s gun came into play from the get-go when the psych ward patient escaped and the town police force was warned about how dangerous this psycho was. This built up a lot of anticipation for me and that anticipation all went to waste. Ultimately, this Chekhov’s gun ended up as more of a side plot with little attention given to it, which was a shame given that it had so much potential.
In the end, it was a good Halloween comedy to laugh at. It was refreshing to have a funny holiday movie that focused on a holiday other than Christmas. It delivered a good message about having courage to be yourself and overcoming your fears to help others. I wouldn’t recommend watching this movie with young kids as it’s a bit graphic in some scenes, but if you’re looking for a spooky scare on Halloween while you’re trapped at home, this flick’s for you.
