Night of the Reaper Review
Brandon Christensen’s Night of the Reaper is a classic small-town slasher mystery dressed in retro textures and modern pacing. After a babysitter is murdered by a masked figure, college student Deena returns home and takes a last-minute sitting job for the sheriff, who’s being taunted by packages that point to a wider pattern of violence. From there, the film splits its time between Deena’s long night in a lake-country house and the sheriff’s breadcrumb chase, building to a reveal that some eagle-eyed fans will clock early—and a secondary twist that lands with a sharper snap.
Night of the Reaper (2025) | Photo Credit: Shudder
A Familiar Setup with Enough Bite
You’ve seen this scaffolding before: a bereaved town, VHS clues, a killer who likes theatrics, and a babysitter fighting to stay three steps ahead. The pleasure is in the execution. Christensen leans into the “missing-person board” logic of a mystery while keeping the camera alert to slasher grammar.
The plotting keeps you oriented even when it leans on coincidence, and the two-track structure (house vs. hunt) keeps the tempo lively. The 1980s setting also gives the movie an analog heartbeat that fits the snuff-tape conceit without turning the whole thing into a winking nostalgia parade.
The Reveal You Expect, and the One You Don't
The central unmasking won’t stun seasoned horror fans. The film plants its seeds clearly enough that you can sketch the culprit before the third act (even if it’s a subtle early tease). Where Night of the Reaper distinguishes itself is in a late pivot involving another character that reframes earlier scenes and pushes the story past “just another babysitter case.”
It’s not an attempt to redesign the form entirely, but it’s the sort of twist that proves the movie is thinking about its own clues rather than shuffling them. You can basically feel the writers working to give the myth a little extra sting without requiring a total lore dump in your lap.
Camera First, Performances Second
The strongest hand here is the camerawork. The movie is shot with clean geography and a fondness for slow reveals. Night exteriors are readable, interiors are layered with practical light, and the editorial rhythm knows when to hold still so your brain writes its own scare.
On the other hand, performances are passable rather than the focal point, with some generally competent line-reads, credible panic, and a few character beats that could have benefited from retooling. That’s not fatal for a slasher that prioritizes mechanics, but it does leave some scenes and supporting characters hunting for personality.
Plausibility Isn't the Priority
This is one of those mysteries where you either ride with the contrivances or you don’t. The sheriff’s scavenger-hunt subplot requires a generous suspension of disbelief about logistics, response times, and why anyone would play along with a killer’s rules. A couple of timeline shortcuts are obvious if you’re tracking distance and causality.
Yet the film generally gets you past the speed bumps by making its reveal fun and chaotic. Especially considering that the reveal actually adds greater weight to the film’s protagonist by the end. Because sometimes a horror movie needs to take a few big swings, and Night of the Reaper actually manages to land some of them.
Score: 6.5/10
A well-shot throwback with a predictable unmasking and a smarter follow-up twist. The script sometimes stretches plausibility, but sturdy visuals and a crafty final act make Night of the Reaper a solid, Halloween-ready slasher mystery.
