'There were seances. People not only made contact with the dead...but they made things appear'.
Directed by Peter Cornwell Starring: Virginia Madson, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Amanda Crew Released: 27th March 2009 Budget: 10M Box Office: 77.5M
Concept
Not exactly considered a 'horror hidden gem' so before you start grabbing your machetes and chainsaws just hear me out. There are plenty of people out there that would have missed this film, not exactly horror fans but horror beginners or those who overlooked this film. Fans of cinema in general can enjoy this ghoulish train ride of a film, if you haven't seen it, grab some popcorn, kick back and play. I guarantee a great time.
It is 1987, and Matthew Campbell is suffering from cancer and the side effects of the cancer treatments. His mother Sara and his recovering alcoholic father Peter rent out a large house, in which the landlord offers the first month free out of frustration. The Campbell family move into their new home.
Matt's younger brother Billy, and their cousins Wendy and Mary move in, Matthew decides the basement will be his room, as he wishes to be isolated and not upset his mother when he is ill from the treatments. In the basement there is a room isolated and locked.
It is discovered the home was a funeral parlour that held seances, a crippling dark history involved Matthew must uncover the secrets of the house all the while fighting for his life against his illness. A gripping ghost story with different elements thrown in to drag you through a ride of pure terror.
Review
This film is based on a true story, for the full story there is a link just below, that's it, just there. Whether you believe in it or not is entirely up to you.
This is a fantastic film, it can border on the line between disgusting and horror at times but it's all for a purpose. The film is great with the pacing and takes you through each scene discreetly. The use of camera angles is more powerful than the CGI (not that the CGI is bad) but the creativity is well executed.
Paranormal Activity came out in the same year so this films debut was at the jump before found footage films emerged and ruined horror for everybody. See this as a haunted house story before the use of shaky cameras, cliffhangers and barely anything happening. A fine dine recipe for horror that must be seen.
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