Zoe (Kamarra Cole) and Danny (Topher Hansson) are the Halloween couple that we all hope to be someday. They are both adorable, they fell in love at first fright, and they have just enough money to open up their own haunt at the beginning of the new horror pic Teddy Told Me To. Director Tom Devlin’s heartfelt love letter to Halloween follows this darkly optimistic couple as they put together a ragtag band of scare actors and open a haunted house. Yet they make one fatal mistake by ignoring a local legend. Devlin’s scrappy little movie works because it knows exactly what it is. This is campy, schlocky, blood-drenched silliness driven by a sincere love for the scare and it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Despite the realtor’s cagey behavior, Zoe and Danny buy the abandoned haunt in a small town in order to revive it. The two plaster fliers around town and hold auditions. A haunt family is born and Zoe and Danny lead their intrepid band of freaks in an 80’s music montage of hard work and can-do spirit refurbishing the building. Still, there’s that pesky legend. A local known as Teddy killed his parents, then went to work at the haunt, then began killing patrons and fellow actors. As the attraction is about to open, Zoe notices that Danny has decided to exploit the legend of Teddyface and has built a scene around the local murderer in their new haunt. Opening night comes and guests begin coursing through the attraction. Hijinks ensue, as they often do in a horror movie and the gore and mayhem follow.

Devlin wears his influences and his passions on his sleeve with Teddy Told Me To and you can see them in every scene. The blood and gore are practical in all of their gelatinous glory and produced by 1313fx.  Another noteworthy aspect is that John Massari (known for Killer Klowns) scored the film. Also, the editing is sharp as hell, offering a zippy pace to what could have devolved into yet another indie horror film. Props are also in order for a number of the cast, including Cole who plays Zoe with an innocent charm.

Still, the real star of this film is the blood and the gags by 1313fx. There are a ton of noteworthy kills in this film, none of which I will spoil, but these are the type that relies entirely on practical effects and it is glorious. There is so much blood in this movie that you might need a poncho.

7 OUT OF 10