Written and directed by Brandon Christensen, co-written by Ryan Christensen, college student Deena visits home and is roped into babysitting. The local sheriff is mailed a piece of evidence and is led on a scavenger hunt to reveal the killer of another babysitter. Starring: Summer H. Howell, Huxley Fisher, Matty Finochio, Jessica Clement, Ben Cockell, Ryan Robbins, Keegan Connor Tracy and Savannah Miller.

On the one hand Night of the Reaper adds a nice little twist to your usual serial killer affair but on the other hand, it stylistically feels like it’s unsure what kind of film they’re actually making. The scipt ticks all the usual boxes for a murder-mystery, serial killer hunt and then changes things up to add its own flair to it. It’s a solid piece of writing, even if a lot of it does feel rather familiar. It’s simply not backed up by a style that can inject the dark, macabre, twisted tone that it so desperately needs.

From the get-go, Night of the Reaper feels like it’s going for notes of the supernatural, the entire setup feels so reminiscent of countless films exploring hauntings and possession. It never truly captures that feel of the hunt for a killer, it’s too focused on the observational and that there’s something or someone present in the shadows. It opens on a weak note that’s too much babysitter, not enough killer. It leaves all of its violence until far too late to keep its audience glued in, we’re not seeing enough of the killer’s impact and that mismatch of tone and intention leave it feeling forgettable.

Although, that’s not fault of the performances, it’s a really solid bunch. Jessica Clement maybe tries a touch too hard at times but gives a good performance. Ryan Robbins is probably the closest that Night of the Reaper gets to achieving the right tone, he one hundred percent understood the assignment. His performance has emotion and aggression, it’s a shame he doesn’t get to take the lead more. Similarly with Keegan Connor Tracy it feels like there was more left in the tank that she could have brought to this role.

Night of the Reaper had some good ideas but ultimately can’t quite get them all on the same page. Without a distinctive directorial style and atmosphere, it struggles to get away from the familiarity in its story. It feels like it wants to be a supernatural thriller so it can’t connect with the grounded, twisted elements to its serial killer story. The performances try to elevate that but can only do so much. It has the beginnings of something but falls short of its potential.

Verdict: ✯✯½ | 5/10

Streaming on Shudder from September 19