Murder in My House

My Ratings: Story 1.25 : Direction 1.25 : Pace 1.00 : Acting 1.25 : Entertaining 1.25 Total 6.00 out of 10.00.

I find TV Movies can fall into two categories. Bad or Not Too Bad. Very seldom do they encroach into the good and excellent fields. This one lands firmly in the Not Too Bad field.

The only trouble I have with this movie is the fact you know who the killer is at an early stage. This is a shame as it starts as a whodunnit, my favourite type of mystery movie. The casting department falls into its usual routine mistake. They give the role of the bad-guy to an actor or actress who typically plays the villain. So as soon as they appear on the screen you're thinking, Yeah! It's them. Then when that person's mental illness surfaces, you know without a doubt they carried out the dirty deed. It would have been nice if this had been a red herring. It would have elevated the story and film up an extra notch or two.

That said, Robert Malenfant, who wrote and directed the story, along with screenwriter, Christine Conradt, give the audience a well structured, if predictable, story.

Malenfant also does a decent job with the direction. Though a few changes in tempo would have helped with building the required tension at times. Nonetheless, the film kept my attention and amplified my enjoyment. Though it was the actors and actresses portrayals of their characters that pulled me into the story.

In particular, Daniel J. Travanti, as the busy-body ex-lawyer Stan Douglas. He gives a soft and understated performance. However, it's his actions and reactions with the rest of the cast that makes the film. Whoever he shares the scene with their skill appears boosted by his being there. For example, sometimes Barbara Niven, who plays the lead of Lauren Kessler, comes across a tad two dimensional. When she's with Travanti, though, she is more enlivened and realistic. Nearly a woman you could relate to and care about. This, for me, is also one of Gary Hudson's better roles as Brian Ellis.

Like I said at the start, this is a Not Too Bad film. In these days of CoVid lockdown, you could do a lot worse than checking out this film. So if you like your psychological thrillers, and this is on a telly channel near you, flick on the station and waste an hour and a half.

Jog on over to my The Game Is Afoot list and see where this Telly Film landed in my rankings. You may find another tasty morsel for your viewing pleasure.

Take Care and Stay Well.

This is no mystery, for the viewer knows almost from the beginning who the killer is, but it is a fairly decent made-for-TV suspense thriller. The story premise is an intriguing one. A divorcée, Lauren Kessler (Barbara Niven), and her retired prosecutor father, Stran Douglas (Daniel J. Travanti), have moved into a new home unaware that a murder was committed in the guest house not long before. When Lauren learns of the dastardly deed she has her father check out the Pennsylvania law on disclosure. He learns that the Realtor had done nothing contrary to state law but becomes involved in reopening the case, since apparently the local authorities had botched the investigation sending the victim's wife to prison on circumstantial evidence. The couple's only child, Genesis, was placed in the custody of the wife's sister, Clair (Ellen Dubin), who works with Lauren and Stran to clear her sister and free her from prison. Stran encourages his daughter to date a friendly neighbor, Brian Ellis (Gary Hudson). Then the fun begins. The key to the mystery for the amateur sleuths is to uncover the victim's lover.

The beautiful Ottawa scenery (a stand-in for Pennsylvania) adds much to the film. The acting is first rate with a standout performance by Lisa Zane, playing the ghost of Roxanne, Brian's deceased wife. Gary Hudson makes a quirky Brian Ellis reminding the viewer of Eric Roberts, an old pro at playing such roles. The suspense never lets up, even with the commercial breaks.

Somewhat predictable and filled with plot holes, "Murder in My House" is worthwhile for fans of the genre. Not bad for a made-for-TV flick.

MURDER IN MY HOUSE (TV Movie 2006) Time to read 1:36 minutes 4.5 stars out of 10

BASIC PLOT: Lauren Kessler (Barbara Niven) is embarking on a journey of healing. She is still recovering from the recent death of her young daughter. Even though it's been a few years, the pain is still fresh in her heart. Lauren's become a children's writer, to feel closer to the daughter she lost. After her divorce, she decided to move in with her father, Stan Douglas (Daniel J. Travanti). Stan's a recently retired prosecutor, who is more than happy to see his daughter starting over. They've moved to new town, and bought a house together. Stan is going to teach part time at the local college, and Lauren is going to begin working on her new book. For the first time in a long time, Lauren is feeling positive about the future. She's even agreed to go on a date with her handsome neighbor, Brian Ellis (Gary Hudson), who lives across the street. But her new found happiness is interrupted by another neighbor, Claire (Ellen Dubin), who has some unsettling news. The house Lauren bought is the scene of a recent murder. Lauren is terrified by this discovery, but her father is intrigued. He learns everything he can about the case, including the former resident of their house, Amanda Whitman (Sophie Gendron), was convicted of the murder. She supposedly killed her husband, but Stan thinks otherwise. He is determined to dig into the case, and get Amanda's wrongful conviction overturned. Lauren is happy to help, she is gratified her father has found a purpose again. She feels much the same way about herself. Her new book and relationship, are bringing her so much joy and peace. But something is amiss. The deeper Stan digs into the case, the more bizarre Brian's behavior. Are the two connected? And what really happened to Brian's first wife, Roxanne (Lisa Zane)?

WHAT WORKS: *ROXANNE IS A NICE TOUCH We're never really sure if Roxanne (Lisa Zane) is a ghost, or a hallucination, and that's a good thing. It makes us wonder about Brian's (Gary Hudson) state of mind. Also, her constant acerbic remarks are great!

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *STAN DOUGLAS BECOMING AN ADVOCATE IS TOO BIG OF JUMP Stan and Lauren go to talk to Marlee Hall (Katherine Dines), the sister of the woman who lived in the house before they bought it. They seek her out because she didn't disclose a murder that took place on the property. But, before they arrive, they know she didn't break the law, so why go? It's a flimsy pretext for Stan Douglas (Daniel J. Travanti) to get involved with the case. He's an ex-prosecutor, and finds the case, flawed and fascinating.

*THE WRITING AND ACTING IS PRETTY SURFACE I know this is a melodrama, and characters don't have much depth in melodramas, but a bit more character development would have helped here. The viewer has no investment in anything, and it makes for a less enjoyable experience.

*WHAT WAS LAUREN'S DAUGHTER DOING IN THE STREET? I'm never one to be judgemental, but if her daughter was three when she died, what was she doing playing outside, by herself, near a busy road? They show the accident, and Lauren is upstairs doing laundry. Who was watching her child?

*SOME OF THE CAMERA ANGLES ARE DISTRACTING Occasionally, the camera will do a tight zoom on the actors faces. I don't think there's anyone in this movie under the age of 50, so that's not such a good thing.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *If you like made-for-tv melodramas, you might like this. Understand going in, the characters are pretty one dimensional, and so is the plot. If you're looking for an afternoon, cozy thriller, this will work. If you're looking for a movie with depth, look elsewhere.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in ANY way by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

( Review of "Blood Stains" the movie )

This is the second "mystery" movie this week I have watched that made the same mistake ... letting the audience know who the killer is right from the start.

If they would have kept the killer in a mask, or in the shadows, it would made this film a lot better to sit threw.

As it is, this movie is incredibly boring. It reminds me of a not so good remake of "Matlock", or some other 80's crime mystery TV show.

The characters themselves act more like they are in a soap opera, than a movie.

There is no mystery, no suspense, no real drama, and no dramatic ending. I bought this movie, new, for $1.99, and it feels like I was overcharged.

Lauren and her father Stan move into what they believe is a nice neighborhood. What they don't realize is that a murder was committed on their property, leaving a little girl without her parents. The father, Garrett, was killed, and the mother, Amanda, was sent to prison--apparently as the result of incompetent or lazy lawyers. Stan, who was a prosecutor before developing health problems, now teaches at a local college, and he decides to find a way to reopen the case. Brian, another teacher at the college who becomes friendly with Lauren (and possibly more than just friends), would prefer that the case not be reopened. In fact, his behavior when he is alone resembles that of a stalker.

Through flashbacks, we are shown the events leading to the murder as well as the traumatic discovery of the body. We also see Lauren's memory of the tragic death of her own daughter Stephanie, who would have been the other girl's age had she lived. Lauren keeps Stephanie alive through her children's book series. She is also shown at a book-signing and one of the girls there is absolutely adorable, though she has just one line.

There's nothing that special here, though the leading actors do a good job, particularly Daniel J. Travanti as Stan. I did not recognize him, though I saw very few episodes of "Hill Street Blues." But the real standout performance here comes from Lisa Zane as Brian's ex-wife Roxanne, who only he can see. She is wacko! Could she actually be dead and haunting him, or is he crazy? Well, we know from the start that something's not right with him.