Best selling authors Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti transform their supernatural novel into the thrilling film House. The film follows Jack (Reynaldo Rosales, TV?s "Medium?) and Stephanie Singleton (Heidi Dippold, HBO?s "The... more » Sopranos?), a self-absorbed couple who get sidetracked on their way to a counseling session. After blowing out their tires, they find their way to the Wayside Inn, a ramshackle B &B where they meet an equally self-obsessed couple. The foursome quickly find themselves terrorized by a household of ghoulish servants and a masked lunatic, known as "The Tin Man? (Michael Madsen, Kill Bill: Vol. 2), who demands a dead body by sunrise. Their only way out, it seems, is to venture further in. But the deeper they go, the more horrifying the killer?s game and their night becomes. House is "a suspenseful psychological roller coaster ride? (MovieJungle.com) that will keep you pinned to the edge of your seat!« less
James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX Reviewed on 6/18/2009...
I very much enjoyed this spooky house tale, where nothing's as it seems.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
A Great Christian movie
Kathryn Dofredo | Seattle, WA USA | 03/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Alot of people say this movie is horrible, but to tell you the truth, I loved it. It wasn't that scary, it just had it's moments, and it had one swear word, but you can hardly hear it. I don't know why it was rated R, but it still is a great Christian movie. I had to travel from Yelm, WA to Lacey, WA to see it, since it was in limeted places, and I say it was worth a shot. The plot is pretty good, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked it, and I am having a movie night when I get it!"
House Delivers The Thrills, And A Message
04/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
""House" begins with a tragic murder scene that still is able to give you chills, while leaving it all to your imagination. That dreary scene then cuts to Jack and Stephanie driving down a road, supposedly on their way to a marriage counseling session. After losing their daughter several years ago, Jack and Stephanie are now at a near-divorce, and when they talk, if ever, is usually only to blame the other for something random. When a car accident leaves them stranded with no transporation and no cellphone service, they make their way on foot to the ultra-creepy "Wayside Inn." Meeting another couple there, Randy and Leslie, who were in the same predicament as they were, they begin to sense something wrong.
As you can probably guess, "The Wayside Inn" contains more than meets the eye. Sooner than later, a crazy and demented killer named the Tin Man is trying to get them to kill one of the four of them, as to satisfy their "guilt." The house itself is also not as normal as it seems, confronting each person in the house with their past sins and guilts, and how it ultimately leads to life or death.
Although the book based off of this movie was written by Christian authors, don't expect anything preachy. In fact, don't expect anything close to preachy. Although you might be able to see some Christian parallels contained in the film (especially towards the end), nothing is ever blatantly obvious in the movie. Is that a good thing? Hard to say. On one hand, many Christians may be disappointd with the film's lack of clear Christian morality and the very controversial "R" rating (a PG-13 would've sufficed.) On the other hand, Christians who are hoping that this film may lead others to Christ, may worth looking into. It'd be a great choice to take your non-believer friend to, and discuss with afterwards. "House," at the least, is most certainly thought-provoking. For any one else out there who really doesn't care whether or not it's Christian... give it a whirl and see what you think of it. It sure is one heck of a ride.
The acting also stuck out to me. Looking back on last year's film, "Thr3e," also based on a Ted Dekker novel, I was shocked at the wooden acting and dialogue that the actors engaged in. Fortunately, this time around, the actors were well-cast and the dialogue not as stiff, and the budget was definetely higher than "Thr3e..." the special effects pretty good for a lower-budget film than, per say, "The Dark Knight" or "Quantam of Solace."
In conclusion, although "House" is most definetely better in book format, the movie is definetely worth seeing. As well as being a good, two-hour thrill ride, it also contains a message, no matter how subtle or vague... of light ALWAYS conquering the darkness. Amen to that. Even a non-believer has to agree with that statement. Solid acting, solid storyline (despite its occasional tendency to stray from the book's path), andsome good thrills (and chills) make this "House" one to enter.
--Anthony B.
*Find this review on my movie review website: ambreviews.webs.com"
CREEPY....
Thressa Phillips | 04/10/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This movie wasn't half bad. I enjoyed it. I have pretty sound nerves but I actually jumped a couple of times. Although, I figured out the mystery to the story long before it revealed itself, I followed it to the very end. I think I would watch it again. It's not gorey and it's void of the usual sex scenes, if you like that kind of thing. It's just a creepy, twisted little tale that reminds me a bit of some of Clive Barker's work.It's worth the watch."
Decent Movie, Does NOT Follow The Book
S. Morse | Charleston, WV USA | 05/10/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I love the book House By Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker and I was hoping that since they made a movie of the book it would follow it at least somewhat. Needless to say, I was very disappointed; but I should have known because most movies don't. It is still a fairly decent film with some pretty good actors for the parts, if you haven't read the book or like to compare books with movies it's still a great buy."
Suspenseful!
S. Morse | 03/31/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Many don't like this film, but I don't see quite why. Sure, it wasn't perfect, and the book is definietely better, but I'm so glad that my favorite book was turned into a movie!! It's spooky at parts, and very suspenseful. It should NOT have been rated R however. Overall, it was just a really good movie that I would recommend to any horror or thriller fans!"