Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Hubie Halloween’ On Netflix, Where Adam Sandler Reunites With His Usual Gang For Spooky Shenanigans

Adam Sandler‘s deal with Netflix has gifted us with such delights as Sandy Wexler and Murder Mystery, among others. The latest from the Sandman is Hubie Halloween, a spooky, silly Salem-set romp that reunites him with his usual crew. Sandler promised to make a movie “so bad on purpose” if he lost the Oscar for Uncut Gems, and, well, the man lost. Get ready, #Fandlers. It’s time to see if he’s kept his word. 

HUBIE HALLOWEEN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) spends every Halloween dedicated to keeping the townspeople of Salem safe. He proudly wears his “Monitor” sash, and he’s armed with the “Swiss army knife” of thermoses. He also has had a crush on fellow townie Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen) since, well, forever, holds a job at the local deli where customers and coworkers alike make his life as scary as possible, and he lives in an excessively-decorated house with his crude graphic tee-obsessed mother (June Squibb). Despite Hubie’s love of the color orange and all things spooky, however, he is perhaps the biggest scaredy-cat who has ever lived. He is also the laughing stock of his town. His skittishness and constant pestering of the police and other folks have turned him into something of a man-who-cried wolf, which proves to be a particularly bad thing when actual danger rolls around one Halloween – an escaped inmate from a local psychiatric hospital.

What ensues is a series of gross-out bits, pratfalls, goofy jump scares, and continued disbelief of poor Hubie, who does his best to keep it together under the circumstances. Even when Hubie is trying to do something legitimately noble, the people around him can’t help but try and give him a good scare. With the help of a stacked ensemble cast including Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Julie Bowen, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Noah Schnapp, Sandler’s wife and daughters, a few SNL faces, and more (as well as some bananas cameos), candy is collected, pranks are pulled, and the truth about monsters, murderers, and more is revealed.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Hubie Halloween pretty much falls in line with the rest of Sandler’s low-to-middle grade, mindless, enjoyable fare; Sandy Wexler, Mr. Deeds, etc. Just picture those with some spooky shenanigans tossed in. Like if Sandy Wexler had a baby with Hocus Pocus.

Performance Worth Watching: Even up against such a starry ensemble, Steve Buscemi and Maya Rudolph are undeniably the MVPs here, embracing their ridiculous roles in ways that help make their scenes sing. Buscemi’s physical (and vocal) commitment to his insane character provides some of the biggest laughs in the movie – it’s just genuinely hilarious to watch a man with such serious acting chops dive into something like this full force.

Memorable Dialogue: There is a list of absolutely ridiculous jokes to choose from here, but I legitimately guffawed at June Squibb’s delivery of “Hubert Shubert Dubois, do you hear me?!” Call me simple, but I’m a sucker for a silly name uttered in the most serious of tones. 

Single Best Shot: Hubie Halloween is not the most artfully-shot flick in town (even though it is blessedly well-lit even in its darkest scenes, a rarity these days!), but for what it is, it really works. I don’t want to spoil the fun of the more ridiculous visual gags, but this bit – of Sandler answering the door, shrieking, and recovering immediately – pretty much sums up this movie.

Sex and Skin: No sexy time for Hubie, I’m afraid, though if you’re looking for skin, there are shots galore here of Steve Buscemi galumphing about in a wife beater.

Our Take: I don’t remember the last time my expectations aligned so well with reality. Hubie Halloween is exactly what one might anticipate based on the name alone. Nothing more, nothing less. Alternating between his signature mumble and wide-eyed screams, Sandler is painfully earnest, somehow managing to project his unfailing likability and charm (even under that mustache). Hubie pays homage to a handful of horror movies in increasingly silly ways (The Exorcist puke on the bike, the Halloween-esque insane asylum escape, the mayor refusing to shut down the celebrations a la Jaws, etc), but there are so many bits here that feel quintessentially Sandler. We’ve got the endless pratfalls, the fart and pee jokes, the insane dodging of everything thrown at him whether he’s riding a bike or running by foot, Mrs. Dubois’ vile graphic tees, the thermos that serves as a shovel, dust buster, umbrella, and more, the pee-stained ghost sheet, and on and on.

There are plenty of gross-out gags, but there’s also a lot of heart here, which is what makes Hubie Halloween work. The love story is just as silly as one might expect out of this kind of thing, and Bowen fills the *beautiful woman inexplicably in love with an idiot man* role perfectly. Much like many of Sandler’s other comedies – particularly the earlier ones – there’s an unwavering earnestness to Hubie Halloween, even during the film’s more bonkers sequences. It’s not self-serious or mean, like so many other comedies these days, and it is totally self-aware. The Happy Madison roster has always succeeded (even with its stupider titles) because there is an unfailing sense of identity, a trait many others lack. Say what you want about Hubie Halloween and the other Madison movies, but their only mission is to have fun, and for better worse, they seem to achieve it every time – often with the help of A-list cast members. And the willingness of the cast to be so on board with a kooky caper like this one is what makes movies like Hubie Halloween such a dumb delight for the whole family.

The Sandman may have promised to make the worst movie ever following his Oscar snub, but Hubie Halloween is far from the most terrible thing the Happy Madison gang has ever made. It’s certainly not high art, but it’s also not offensively bad. It’s the perfect dumb thing to sit down and watch with your Sandler-loving parents, or even alone, like I did, cackling as serious actors like Ray Liotta were sucked into a black void wearing a rainbow clown wig.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It’s not a masterpiece (nor particularly good), but it’s probably the most watchable of Sandler’s Netflix films. Hubie Halloween is pure, gross, goofy, extremely earnest harmless Halloween fun; a worthy addition to the mid-tier Sandman repertoire. And for us #Fandlers, it’s definitely more of a treat than a trick.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Hubie Halloween on Netflix