House of Temptation

I have no idea who the folks posting all the gushing reviews are, but this is not a good film: the acting is terrible, the pacing slow, the premise maudlin. If you have absolutely nothing better to do, try and find something else to do, since this film will make nothing but regrets. The film feels like it was shot in a weekend with the director's friends and then he asked his family to come on here and post reviews. All of which is fine, but there really should be some way to mark for review obviously bogus reviews. The one comparing this to The Exorcist? Please. That should just be a red flag.

I am generally not a fan of supernatural-horror movies as there appears to be very little room for originality in them. However, the plot in House of Temptation, while derivative of a few films (Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Rosemary's Baby, many movies involving a haunted house) had enough in the way of new material to keep me interested.

The main problem with the movie, however, is the production. It feels quite cheap, like a home movie. This is mainly due to much being done on hand-held cameras. While the first person POV has worked on a few films (Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield being the best examples) it is not really necessary here. I can understand why the director used it: it's cheaper and easier and when you're a director/producer starting out, budget is a key factor. A few scenes with hand-held would have been fine, but it was overdone. This also seemed to get in the way of the plot, as the writer then had to write the script to incorporate the viewer.

The performances weren't that great, though none were atrocious (except maybe Michael Navarra...). Jena Hunt was the best of the lot: quite intense and convincing. Rest were a bit wooden at times, though seemed to get better as the movie progressed.

While not a great movie, a decent effort by producer-director Doc Zee, considering his obvious budgetary constraints.

In House of Temptation, which was filmed in Bodega Bay in Northern California, Director Doc Zee uses the device of a teenager filming his family with his new video camera to bring the audience into the story and it the audience connected and engaged throughout.

The actors are given a wonderful vehicle in which to shine. Newcomer Julian Larach, who plays Johnnie, is a natural and the camera loves him. He is real find. Totally natural, totally relaxed, and totally believable.

Jena Hunt as the sexy lead is a gorgeous and talented actress. I look forward to seeing more of her work.

The suspense builds gradually and is sustained. One of the ghosts is a young boy who is clothed only in his underwear. It is odd, unseemly, and the result is that the audience starts to get very uncomfortable but doesn't really know why. And the action builds from there.

House of Temptation is not what it at first appears. This film is actually full of fun surprises. With some particularly strong performances from Jena Hunt as Maya, and Julian Larach as Johnnie, House of Temptation takes its characters on a mysterious journey that is much more personal and poignant than one would expect from an ordinary horror flick. Director, Hassan Zee, is not one to let camp get in the way of a human story. Rather than going for cheap scares, Zee focuses on the breakdown of a family in a surprisingly intimate way through the eyes of their teenage son. I wish more big budget Hollywood films could be this personal. Looking forward to seeing what Doc Zee does next!

Hassan Zee has a new horror film called "House of Temptation". It's a film about one man's conflict of faith and the temptations of a house of horrors. My favorite characters were the main priest, Jeremiah and Maya. I liked Jeremiah and watching him deal with his inner conflict and Maya was a delightfully wicked character. Actress Jena Hunt was recently seen in Falling Uphill (another Bay Area feature film) and it was entertaining seeing her play a completely different character. Quite a range. Without revealing too much, the film has nice twists and I liked how the main family's story was left open-ended. I prefer it when the filmmakers leave it open to the audience to decide what happens next. Overall, a nice change of pace from the usual generic slashers and found footage that makes up much of horror cinema these days.