Storyline

Mysterious accidents plague workers at an amusement park.

Plot Keywords

friend, woman, coworker, disturbing, frightening, gripping, shocking, suspenseful, bates motel, accident, murder investigation, suspicion, discovery, pursuit, 2010s

Short Review

The Bates Haunting is an indie horror film with a fun premise: in a small town haunted theme park, some of the fake "kills" are not all part of the show -- they are actually real. It's an interesting setup since you would have a hard time deciphering what's real and what's pretend in this kind of an environment.I've seen a lot of other reviewers here that seem upset that this isn't related to the Bates family from the Psycho franchise -- but Bates is actually referring to the real-life Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Pennsylvania, which I've been to! This Bates Motel has been ranked as one of the best haunts in the country and the Bates name actually comes from its owner, Randy Bates, who appears in the film. The park itself even references the Bates family/Psycho franchise at some of the attractions. Does that clear everything up? Anyway, the place is a lot of fun and I was excited to see it on screen since I had been there myself. I'd recommend going there if you ever get the chance.Okay, back to the film. The Bates Haunting is a low budget indie horror film and I tend to look at these films a little differently. I'm a big fan of the genre and I'm not going in expecting multi-million dollar production value, rather I'm looking for creativity and originality that you might not see in repetitive Hollywood films. That said, The Bates Haunting has impressive cinematography, flashy editing, and unique locations that you're not used to seeing in most films (does every other movie have to be filmed in Los Angeles??). It's tough to get quality acting across the board in indie films, but I think Zachary Fletcher (Junior Bates) and Jean Louise O'Sullivan (Agnes Rickover) were standouts in the film and probably have promising futures ahead of them. If you're a fan of the tv show Jackass, you'll also notice Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn make some brief cameos, which is pretty fun.The film mixes gore with some comedy, both straight forward and tongue-in-cheek, and I appreciate that the film doesn't have to take itself too seriously for the entirety of the movie like many horror movies do. I think The Bates Haunting is a fun watch, particularly around Halloween, for those who can appreciate interesting low budget horror flicks. So check it out if that sounds like your cup of tea! The Bates Haunting is currently available on Tubi, Vudu, iTunes, and on dvd/Blu-ray via Netflix.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership

2. Vudu : [SD - Buy: 3.99, Rent: 2.99] [HDX - Buy: 4.99, Rent: 3.99]