“Tell me, Julia – just how brave are you?”

Story: Five years after Julia’s husband slaughtered six women – and tried to add her to the list – a supernatural reality show presenter asks her to return to the house where it happened. All that’s left is some blood, a few pieces of furniture, and a fortune teller machine. I’m sure the seven people – the crew plus Julia – playing the game won’t have any consequences at all.

Scares: Actually some fun thrills.
Splat Factor: A few bits of blood. Most kills happen during cutaways, though the opening scene shows a nice bit of FX as Julia gets, well, opened.

Subgenre: Possession Slashers
Year Released: 2026
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original.

Trick or Treat?: I should be slagging off this film for it’s low budget and iffy acting from some of the cast. But Harbinger was a fun watch, simply because it’s obvious there was a lot of love for the genre here. Think Chucky, but with the fun house fortune teller machine from Big.

There’s an 80s horror aesthetic here, from the Susperia-meets-Creepshow color grading to the musical score that just misses overblown and slides into camp. That the Harbinger (fortune teller puppet in the machine) is obviously a man in a suit? Adds to the fun. While the acting here is nothing to write home about? These folks are still better than anything Gal Gadot could hope for. Bless her heart.

Director James Crow does a great job with what he’s got to work with, delivering an entertaining movie even with a weak script and wobbly actors. Not that I think anyone here failed or delivered less than they could. Instead, with the writer of Popeye’s Revenge and Tsunami Sharks? This was always gonna veer into crazy fun rather than serious scares. There’s no theme, there’s no message, there’s just a bloody good time.

The climax is rather lackluster, but I think that might be due to the budget limits. Still, it’s kinda similar to the “Well’p that’s over now” endings of many 80s Giallo films, so I’m not mad. I dig the groovy title and end credits though. Very 90s TV horror series. Stay for the brief post credits scene that has gorgeous shots of the Sussex chalk cliffs.

Low budget, big love for the genre. That evens out to a fun low-key watch that’s perfect for a chilly evening.

Score: 3 out of 5 pumpkins.