Hayden Cole
Lantern Staff
In his latest feel-good, goofball film, Adam Sandler stars as an outsider who just wants to keep people safe on the spookiest night of the year. Released on Netflix last week, Sandler also stars beside some familiar faces: Kevin James (Sgt. Steve Downey), Steve Buscemi (Walter Lambert) and Rob Schneider (Richie Hartman) make appearances, as well as former Disney stars like China Anne Mclain (Miss Taylor), Peyton List (Peggy) and Karan Brar (Deli Mike Mundi), along with other big names like Michael Chiklis (Father David), Ben Stiller (Orderly Hal), Ray Liotta (Mr. Landolfa) and even Shaquille O’Neal (DJ Aurora). Current Saturday Night Live cast members Kenan Thompson (Sgt. Blake), Mikey Day (Axehead) and Melissa Villasenor (Cat Owner Karen).
The film follows the story of the town outcast Hubie (Sandler), who just wants people to be safe, as he prepares to patrol the streets of Salem, Massachusetts. As the film progresses, townspeople abuse Hubie by throwing things at and playing cruel pranks on him: throwing eggs, scaring him and even pushing him into an open grave. Hubie’s only friends in town seem to be his mother (June Squibb) and Violet Valintine, a local waitress and foster mom who has a crush on Hubie and is played by Julie Brown . Hubie appears to scare very easy, which lets the people around him play constant jokes on him. He often reports things of no significance to the police, so when Hubie reports that townspeople are going missing, no one believes him. The plot takes an even bigger twist when the people missing are also people who were mean to Hubie. Hubie sets his sights on finding out who is responsible for the kidnappings and saving the missing townspeople.
The film does an excellent job of creating suspense with its usage of shadows and camera angle. At several points in the movie, the audience is watching from the perspective of the kidnapper, using a technique seen in Halloween, where the audience can see from Michael Meyer’s perspective.
The film is chalked full of strong performances from a variety of stars. It also includes a touching tribute to Cameron Boyce, who passed away unexpectedly before the film began production.
The film is classic Adam Sandler, goofy and funny with an easy to follow plot. It does a great job of being spooky and funny simultaneously, with jokes adults and kids will find hilarious, appealing to many audiences. The film has something for just about everyone, making it the perfect film for a family Halloween movie night. For this reason, Hubie Halloween is an 9/10 .
Butler Lantern 