Despite not being the biggest fan of Justin Harding’s preceding short film of the same name from 2018’s Huluween, Carved still promised enough killer pumpkin carnage from the trailer that it was enough to hook me. How would a feature-length slasher expand the premise of an already hollow short? Would impressive practical effects work be overshadowed by the erratic CGI movements of a murderous plant? Could the over-the-top absurdity of the premise ever truly be taken seriously from a character standpoint? Thankfully, the answers to these questions are significantly more satisfying than expected. An intoxicating mix of nostalgic Americana and grotesque horror gives Carved a quirky, offbeat charm.
The premise is rather simple: a pumpkin carving contest turns into a deadly massacre as the pumpkin itself—and its vines—go on a relentless killing spree. This straightforward concept promises plenty of gore, and boy does it deliver in that regard. The kills are both brutal and comical, from slit throats to heads scalped and bodies impaled by vines. A very ugly central pumpkin goes bonkers at the savagery of the carving contest—Cedar Creek’s Pioneer Village, once the site of a toxic oil spill, seems to be responsible for the sentient evil growing from its roots. This creature notably looks impressive onscreen, down to every horrific crime it commits. As it slithers across the screen with the help of its vines, the badass pumpkin creature becomes a seemingly unstoppable force. Who needs a concrete explanation about its origins when we’re having so much fun watching it wreak havoc?
Several folks involved in everyday reenactments become central to the massacre at hand. Namely, our primary focus is on writer and director Kira (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), her naive preteen brother Trevor (Wyatt Lindner), her acting extraordinaire boyfriend Cody (Corey Fogelmanis), lighting technician Barbara (Carla Jiminez), puppet improv expert Shane (Jonah Lees), and actress-slash-crisis-assessment guru Maddie (Sasha Mason). Rounding out the cast are two stoners (Matthew Cardarople and Jackson Kelly), a Korean war vet (Ted Ferguson), a seedy reporter (Elvis Nolasco), and a queer couple (DJ Qualls, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur) who have helped organize the contest.
The characters are intentionally exaggerated to play into the camp factor. Between hammy actors, stoners, horny teens, and a corn seller dressed as a literal ear of corn dealing weed from his “Corn Wagon,” just about every major base has been covered. The corn jokes are just one of many ways the movie injects absurd humor into the narrative, with almost every scene playing out as a parody of slasher tropes. The pot brownies and weed humor are essential ingredients for the kind of ridiculous horror movie Carved tries to be, adding to its chaotic energy.
Still, a handful of these characters have conflicts of their own that help them to stand out as more than simple archetypes. Cody’s destiny for Broadway becomes a major obstacle that hangs over the main relationship, calling into question whether this traumatic event will keep him in Cedar Creek, or have him running for the hills. Barbara emerges as smarter than she initially appears, giving Jiminez plenty of material; after a stand-out hilarious role in FOX’s cancelled-too-soon comedy gem The Mick, it was quite a pleasure to see Jiminez pop up here.
Against all odds, Justin Harding manages to inject suspense into the narrative, primarily in an extended sequence creatively featuring the use of walkie-talkies. Additionally, at least a couple of these character deaths manage to hit pretty hard. The perfect appetizer to a night of pumpkin carving, get ready for a new Halloween season favorite. For a movie about a killer pumpkin, Carved slices its way from being a goofy romp to a heartfelt slasher filled with more than just goopy pumpkin guts.
Take out the scooper and prepare to be Carved up campy horror fun—coming exclusively to Hulu on Monday, October 21st.
