User reviews

Occasionally a film may fly under the radar as to how creepy and thought provoking it may be, and this film is indeed one of them. I was interested in the beginning, and unlike another reviewer, once the "one month later" screen appeared, I began to feel that a promising start may have ran out of steam, as I prefer taut films such as this one to take place in "real" time, as morning to noon, to night to next day we're with the characters, which really draws one in, and I was pleasantly surprised to see this one played out quite well. This film is well worth viewing, and I would highly recommend to anyone else looking for a creepy unnerving little film to keep to one the edge

This film is also known as "The Wrong House".

I normally only leave a review if a film is so bad I wouldn't want anyone else to waste precious time watching it but this one is pretty decent.

Basically 2 families turn up to view a house where the previous owners had lost their home to foreclosure and what happens to the prospective buyers is all because of what happened to the previous family.

Very much a psychological/spiritual gorefest which doesn't actually disapoint.

In this case most of the characters are unlikeable which is deliberate and part of the back story.

Memorable and disturbing horror, concerning a group who are led to a remote house, only to find they are unable to leave. Far better than the standard offering and has some original well executed ideas. I'm giving it such a lofty score because it has stayed in my mind and any film (horror or not) that can resonate with you, throughout time has got to be worthy.

Two families, with secrets of course, are casually looking at houses on a weekend. Thanks to a foreclosure in one case, and a weird real estate agent in another, they both stumble upon a 70-acre property far out in the country, and soon find themselves trapped.

Naturally there is no cell phone reception, a car that has run out of gas, and seemingly no way to get back to the road. They are soon joined by a young adolescent girl, made mute, apparently by an earlier violent crime. Each atempt to leave by the families ends up looping back to the rundown old house.

From there the scares and creepiness escalate as they settle in to the old house for the first night. Family secrets are peeled away. Personalities clash. Claustrophobia rules. Ghosts -- maybe -- are sighted. Sympathetic characters turn ugly. One of the mean characters turns out to be not so bad after all. Violence ensues.

And someone, some thing or entity, keeps restocking the pantry every day with cans of beef stew so the house party can continue. Perhaps a metaphor for the situation: disparate elements coming together into a stew of hatred and fear, compressed into a dark, airless can. Or maybe it's just smart nutrition: all the elements to sustain human life for months, maybe years.

The confinement lends a seriously creepy, forbidding pall to the whole affair. The puzzle as to why they are there -- a jigsaw puzzle is part of a few scenes -- and how they can escape provides a head-scratching but satisfying mystery.

Strong performances by all involved. I was especially struck by the two male leads, the two dads, who are in no way physically attractive. Marc Singer as Charlie Hays reminded me of William H. Macy, sort of tired, downtrodden. Art LaFleur as Don Thomson is a lot like a dyspeptic John Goodman. He is constantly puffing away at cigarettes, and worryingly obese. Can a heart attack or stroke be near? These two are a welcome change from the usually hunky, hot guys in horror and sci-fi.

The movie engaged me throughout, and I am a tough critic. Well worth the time.

Strong concept, strong acting, no real cinematic issues I did enjoy it, all the way down to the soundtrack. 8 might be strong but my real thought was 7.5 or so and the rating is low, so what the heck.

If done well, I always think that people together in a difficult situation is an interesting take on life, and really that's what this is.