My quick rating – 4.9/10. Sometimes Halloween delivers treats. Other times, it gives you whatever Isleen Pines is. Best I can come up with is a chewy mix of blood, B-movie charm, and pure, unfiltered Halloween spirit. Written and directed by Matthew Festle and Alexys Paonessa, this indie horror-comedy proudly wears its budget on its sleeve, along with a few thrift-store costume seams.
Set in the delightfully generic town of Isleen Pines, the story revolves around a group of friends converging on their annual Halloween bash, hosted by The Witch (Naiia Loije). Guests of honor include The Vampire (Jackson Turner), The Ghost (Festle himself), and The Zombie (Darren Deng)—names that tell you everything you need to know about their characters and their costumes. While the partygoers sip, stumble, and try to out-spook each other, a group of aliens with costumes so goofy they might’ve been designed by a trick-or-treating preschooler decides to crash the fun.
The result? A surprisingly enjoyable mash-up of party antics, alien chaos, and plenty of fake blood. The movie cleverly alternates between the group at the party and the stragglers trying to get there, keeping the pace varied enough that you never quite know whose night is about to get ruined next. The filmmakers clearly had a blast putting this together—you can practically feel the sticky floors, cheap fog machine haze, and chaotic enthusiasm radiating through the screen.
There’s also a genuinely festive Halloween atmosphere here that many bigger productions somehow miss. The decorations, the mischief, and the small-town vibe all make it feel like you’re hanging out at a neighborhood haunted house where everyone’s in on the joke. When the gore finally kicks into overdrive near the finale, it’s like the filmmakers saved up their entire special-effects budget for one gloriously messy payoff—and honestly, it works.
Sure, the film never explains the aliens or their purpose, but that’s kind of the point. They show up, they slime some people, and they remind you that sometimes horror doesn’t need a reason, it just needs a good excuse for chaos.
At the end of the day, Isleen Pines is the cinematic equivalent of finding an unexpected full-size candy bar in your trick-or-treat bag: not what you expected, maybe a little off-brand, but satisfying nonetheless. It’s goofy, gory, and made with passion—and in indie horror, that combination goes a long way.
Adequate if you’re okay with low-budget charm, but undeniably fun and festive enough to earn a place in your Halloween watchlist. And with that ending? Don’t be surprised if these aliens come back for seconds.
