Search - Christina's House on DVD

Not so bad at all...

Mangy Fox | 07/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I rented this dvd hoping for a cheesefest and I was not dissappointed. Honestly I expected it to be terrible, as good cheese is hard to find, but really it wasn't too bad at all. The movie starts with a murder in the old house so I wasn't under the impression that it was haunted but that someone, or perhaps something, is living behind the walls. You don't know who it is or why they're doing what they're doing, but the list of supects is long and twisted: the horney/violently jealous boyfriend, the apparently incestuously minded/hothead father, the weird/weird handyman, the angry/weird sheriff, or just some Jason Voorhees type. The daughter just thinks she's going crazy. The movie deftly implicates all of these while at the same time deflecting it. The acting while not great is definately on the upper level of the B-eschelon. The story is well told and has some interesting, quirky elements. I recommend it."

Absolutely wretched!

memyself&i | Auburndale, Wisconsin USA | 11/16/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"There are some pretty stupid movies out there that still manage to entertain. B-movies can be fun, and everyone's seen a movie that at least hits a few high points, maybe even reaching camp status. This movie is none of the above. I don't think I've seen a worse film all year. There is absolutely nothing to recommend in this movie. I looked.First off, the plot is horribly trite and predictable. There's a scary haunted house that makes weird noises while the hesitant heroine is in the bath. It also makes weird noises at other times. The fact that it's an old house obviously never crosses anybody's mind. In case you missed the whole noises plotline, the heroine shrieks that the house is weird and makes noises about four times. That's for all us idiots who didn't get it the first three times she spazzed about it.That's it for plot. Now onto characters. Anyone who's seen a few horror movies knows them all by heart.There's the main character, the Hesitant Virgin Who's Afraid to Go the Whole Way (tm). The boyfriend: He pressures, he's scary and slightly threatening, but of course he's one of the most popular boys in school. Then there's the usual cast of secondary characters. The best friend who inevitably dies, the misunderstood father, the mentally unbalanced mother. A mysterious (but attractive) man that the virgin is unwittingly attracted to. If this sounds like any one of a hundred horror movies (with Scream heading up the list), it's because it is. But while Scream was innovative and entertaining in that it turned it's cliches around, this movie doesn't even bother. And while Scream was actually scary, this movie is anything but. There was literally no tension in this film. It's horribly unreal, and very predictable.Maybe even this movie could have been saved with a decent cast. Unfortunately, they didn't have it. Brad Rowe is horribly miscast, and Brendan Fehr is wasted here (unlike in The Forsaken). Allison Lange isn't even worth mentioning. Her father (John Savage) growls menacingly at every turn, but only seems to get more cheesy as the movie (finally) rolls to a stop.I strongly urge anyone thinking of renting or buying this to reconsider. I'm upset I wasted an hour and a half on it."

Flawed... but Worth a Look

Gary Young | Tucson, AZ USA | 04/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Christina's House" is an old fashioned killer on the loose movie. It's set in a small town and avoids trying to be a hip "Scream" style slasher film.
Christina, her dad, and younger brother live in a creepy old house. Apparently someone else is secretly living there as well, killing anyone it can and disposing of the bodies before they can be discovered. Pretty creepy stuff, as anyone who's ever lived in a spooky old house themselves can attest.
The film moves along rather slowly, taking it's time to build suspense. The cast is above average as well.
Aside from a few loose ends, this is a relatively solid chiller. It's a nice change of pace from the high tech, fast paced horror films that look great, but are devoid of any real scares. "Christina's House" reminds us why we liked horror films in the first place."

HOUSE CALL

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 03/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If nothing else, this movie definitely supports those people who say you shouldn't be sending out kids to sell cookies door to door! CHRISTINA'S HOUSE is a lot better than I anticipated, and had some really chilling scenes, and director Gavin Wilding did well with his young actors, especially Allison Lange and the young lad who played her brother (come on Amazon, let's get these cast lists out more often!!!).
STORY: It's confusing at times, and I'm not sure exactly what kind of "powers" the mother has, but it is definitely original, and has a lot of twists and turns. SCORE: 4
CAST: Brendan Fehr as Eddie has the right combination of rugged looks and teenage smarm to play a character we never fully trust; and where does his body go? Allison Lange in her screen debut does well at times, particularly in here lower key scenes; however when she has to be terrified or angry, she goes a little overboard. John Savage does well as the father and Brad Rowe as the hunky handyman is very good. SCORE: 4
DIRECTION: As stated above, Wilding handles the film and its actors well; uses lighting effectively and some good jump out of the dark scares. SCORE: 4"