Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

hi_im_manic 6.5/10 Most adults are familiar with the old hit song "Hotel California" by the Eagles, but not as many are aware of the dual interpretation of its' meaning. "Hotel California" was the whimsical nickname ascribed to Charles Manson's infamous kill-cult, but additionally it's a very clear metaphor for hell. Lyrics enchant us with phrases such as "We are just prisoners here, of our own devise" and "you can check out any time you'd like, but you can never leave". You will see exactly how those words are played out within this film. The four guests within this story are about to experience their own personal versions of hell where they are forced to relive their most torturous moments and face becoming trapped within them forever. Each person has been overwhelmed by guilt, regret, or shame at some point in time, so none are exempt from the maniacal torments that the house imposes upon them. The story begins familiarly, with an argumentative couple traveling through unfamiliar rural territory. Mishaps occur and they become stranded on the road and their cell-phones have no service...of course. A short walk through torrential rain brings them to a large, gated inn. Inside, they are met by another couple who've also been stranded by the roadside. The four-some discover a formal dining table already set for four and shortly after-wards, the power goes out so the men set forth to find the fuse-box. About that time, their hosts make themselves known, and these hosts are immediately creepy as hell itself. Madness ensues mid-dinner, so grip your seats and hold tight for this fast-paced thriller! ---------------I get the impression that this film intends to be smarter than it actually is. It's sort of like a 3rd grader who managed to cheat very well and is skipped forward to middle-school like a lamb to slaughter. I think that the writer and director, whilst VERY GOOD at their craft, undertook a project that was perhaps a bit too advanced per their experience levels. It seems attempt psycho-horror, but only manages so within the characters as it relates to the story.The story is original, although it pays some obvious homage to horror and thriller films of the not-so-old. Think of House of 1000 corpses and House on Haunted Hill and about half a dozen other semi-recent films of this genre and the filmmakers inspirations become quite clear. This isn't a fault necessarily, it just means many of the genre fans aren't going to be as intrigued as "popular viewers" may be. I thought that the camera and editing was an A+ endeavor. Set & costume maybe a B. Dialogue and presentation a solid B, FX a C+. Sound quality and lighting is an A. So really, high ratings all-around, especially so for a lesser-known film that encountered budget restrictions. The characters were fairly-well developed, and the pacing was nearly ideal (a bit aggressive at times). The acting was average to above-average, with a few shining moments from particular actresses. Flashbacks, though necessary (and normally obtrusive) were minimal and provided the audience with just enough of an "Oh, uh-huh!". I'm glad to have found this little jewel and to have invested some of My Friday watching it. Suggested watching is alone or with a close friend/partner. Kick the kids out, turn down the lights and settle down with a cocktail and bucket of popcorn. I recommend it if you're not seeking out a blockbusting hit type of night.

aesgaard41 I usually don't buy DVDs of movies I've never watched because I don't want to get stuck with bad movies in my DVD collection, but I took a chance with this one and I've somewhat regretted it ever since. Unconnected to the "House" series with William Katt, the movie starts out with a couple whose marriage is on the wane. They're debating divorce when the get lost in the back roads of Louisiana and take directions from a shady local sheriff played by Michael Madsen. He sends them down a long shadowy dirt road in the woods littered with the car parts of previous accidents and eventually lose a tire. While looking for help, they pass the car of another stranded couple and all end up at a very sinister and practically abandoned former bed and breakfast. Leslie Easterbrook from "Police Academy" plays the matroness, the mother of a deranged son and employer of an even creepier caretaker. It seems as if its going to be the start of what's going to be a very good ghost story, but then a storm strands the guests and with him comes a madman who lurks on the roof, promising to leave them alone if someone is killed and tossed outside the door. From there, everything goes off the deep end. The mother, her son and caretaker get creepier, then there's evidence of devil worship and the guests get trapped in the catacombs of the basement reliving the details of their worst memories. Nothing ever gets explained. Is the house haunted? Are they in hell? Are they in purgatory? You just keep wondering when is something going to happen! It's got to be the most psychological blood and gore movie I've ever seen. It might as well be called "Lost" because that's what I felt watching it.

G Schelske Hollywood has not been kind to movies of faith. Christian film makers have tried and tried again to evangelize through faith-based-movies. With Nintendo quality CGI (remember your old NES?)and only slightly better acting these movies have fared less than well in the past. i.e. Left Behind, Fireproof or The Omega Code.Enter Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. Both are N.Y. TIMES bestsellers and modern day gods in the realm of Christian fiction. Dekker, a respected suspense author teamed up with supernatural / thriller writer Peretti to write what some call, Stephen King's version of the Gospels. The book sold nearly half a million copies and jumped from page to screen in only two years.Surprisingly Kirk Cameron didn't show up in this one. Was he even considered for casting? Doubtful. Instead, director Robbie Henson delivers an almost evil-to-the-core Christian horror film with an experienced roster of staff and actors. This is by no means an evangelical film and the theology is a little deep, but it is a classic tale of good vs. evil.Dekker's and Peretti's tale pits two young couples against the sins of their past which take form as an evil house. Sounds crazy but it works. Eerily, the house knows its inhabitants and their sins of guilt. Using their past against them the house manipulates them into killing off one another. The house thinks, responds and creates hellish illusions trying to bring down its unwanted visitors.What does this have to do with Christianity? Each of us are held captive by our own sins: Satan uses the sins of our past to bind us and consume us. By design, the sins of our past haunt us and become the sins of our present. Its no longer a matter of walking away. We need a savior. In HOUSE that savior came in the form of a young girl named Susan who unselfishly and unfairly accepted an untimely death to atone for the sins of those who surrounded her. Sound familiar? Christ gave himself in the same way for sins he never committed.The movie is far from brilliant but light years ahead of any Christian based movie so far. The bottom line is simple, its a movie that will scare the Hell out of you.

Claudio Carvalho While driving through a secondary road for a meeting with a marriage counselor in Montgomery, Alabama, the estranged couple Jack Singleton (Reynaldo Rosales) and Stephanie Singleton (Heidi Dippold) ask for directions to a Police Officer (Michael Madsen) but they have a car accident with a metal part left on the road. Jack realizes that his Mustang has two flat tires and they see an abandoned Beamer parked on the road with the head lights on and flat tires.Jack and Steph walks in the rain seeking for help. They see an inn where they meet the businessman and owner of the Beamer, Randy Messsarue (J.P. Davis), and his fiancée Leslie Taylor (Julie Ann Emery). Out of the blue, the weird owners Pete ( Lew Temple), his mother Betty (Leslie Easterbrook) and Stewart (Bill Moseley) welcome the guests and invite them to have dinner. Sooner they are chased by the owner and the maniac The Tin Man and they find that they are trapped in the evil house. Further, for surviving, they lean that they must kill one of them in accordance with The Tin Man's rules. But the mysterious girl Susan (Alana Bale) befriends Jack and advises that if anyone kills, he or she will definitely belong to The Tin Man.The underrated "House" is a surprisingly entertaining horror tale. The creepy story is not a masterpiece, but I was misled believing that it would be another torture film and not a supernatural thriller. Leslie Easterbrook, in the role of Betty, and Lew Temple, in the role of Pete, are very scary and creepy. The plot is not a masterpiece and does not explain well the presence of Susan, but I liked this movie. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Jogos de um Psicopata" ("Games of a Psycopath")