‘Hubie Halloween’ review: A Halloween disappointment

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Graphic by Maria Krug ’22

The new American comedic horror movie, Hubie Halloween, came out on Netflix on Oct. 7 and stars Adam Sandler.

Many teenagers, through social media posts and comments, claimed “Hubie Halloween”  would be the movie that could “save 2020.” Excitement filled the air: a new Halloween movie would be coming out in October starring everyone’s favorite actors Adam Sandler, Noah Schnapp, Julie Brown, Kevin James, Robin Schneider and more. The cast also included actors from Disney Channel’s hit shows like “Jessie,” “Good Luck Charlie” and “A.N.T. Farm.” 

But my enthusiasm soon turned into frustration once I watched the movie. I’m not sure if this roller coaster of a year has completely demolished people’s sense of humor, but a T-shirt saying “boner donor” simply did not get a laugh out of me. 

This PG-13 comedy takes place in the town of Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night. The main character is Hubie Dibout, a middle-aged man played by Adam Sandler, a caring and devoted community volunteer with the goal of keeping his town safe on Halloween. Sandler finds himself amidst a murder and tries to capture the culprit while searching through his town engaging with other townspeople, played by the various well-known actors. 

If you are used to the characters Adam Sandler usually portrays in his films (a goofy middle-aged man with charisma who is usually successful at his job), you will witness a very different character in“Hubbie Halloween.” Though Sandler has starred in many comedic movies, this one is a unique character for him to play given that it is horror mixed with comedy. He plays a man child who still lives with his mom and gets scared easily. The main difference that sets “Hubie Halloween” apart from his regular comedic films is that in this film, the humor is terrible and the jokes are very weak. 

Furthermore, the plot was dull.  Perhaps it had funny scenes here and there, but classifying it as an American comedy would be overdoing it a bit. I didn’t quite grasp the story being told since the movie was rather confusing with no true meaning in the scenes.  Instead, it felt like a collection of individual clips pasted together. 

I didn’t quite grasp the story being told since the movie was rather confusing with no true meaning in the scenes.  Instead, it felt like a collection of  individual clips pasted together. 

— Maria Krug '22

As for the characters, the cast got me excited at first, but after watching it, I felt like all the famous actors did not blend well together and the movie felt very staged and fake. The movie felt very rushed; there was no purpose in the plot and numerous undeveloped jokes. 

I am proud to say that Rotten Tomatoes, a website that rates movies, was in agreement with me in regards to this new production. They gave “Hubie Halloween” a striking 5.21/10 rating and a 3-star average rating, as well as comments from spectators saying the movie was a disappointment. 

Overall, if you are looking to spend a casual Saturday afternoon with your 13-year-old cousin, this movie would be a solid pick. But if you are browsing for a new Halloween movie to watch this October, “Hubie Halloween” definitely doesn’t meet those standards.