The House on Pine Street

So I can view this film differently than last night when watching it. The film is scary and I had to put the light on. Now I'm puzzled. The film has so many unanswered questions. Besides this, the characters were unrealistic and painful to watch. The pregnant main character was experiencing strange things going on. By the way everyone at the party was simply staring at her, if felt as though something darker was going on. Her constant outbursts was grating, especially when she was yelling at a toddler. Her aggression towards her guest was over the top. The way she yelled at the girls next door made her less sympathetic. And her uncaring husband was extremely dull and annoying. He also experienced weird things going on in the house but chose to say nothing. It seems to be a trend in American films lately to have so many plot holes and with unlikeable main characters.

After reading so many negative comments on the IMDb message board, I was very skeptical about watching this film at the local cinema. But I decided to go against all of the negativity and give this film a chance and I'm very glad I did so.

I was the only one in the entire theater (which is always a plus for me as I hate the annoying moviegoers using their cell phone or having a loud conversation with one another).

So this movie is not your run of the mill 'Horror' that Hollywood is churning out these days with the usual creature make ups and jump scares. For me, none of that is scary. It never makes me feel uneasy. It's rather just a cheap ploy to make the viewer jump the same way a child might do by hiding behind a corner and scream boo!.

This movie is a rather fresh take on the entire paranormal phenomenon and it lets the viewer decide what they think is taking place and whether or not it is real. The story made me connect with the protagonist, the husband and even the mother in law at the same time making me change my mind about each one of them throughout.

Of course it uses the typical "husband won't believe what the wife tells him" but it is used in a very clever way.

I do not want to give away too much but I thought It would be good to give my two cents on the review section and let people know that there was never a dull moment in the film for me. The shots were tasteful, the acting was very good and the 'horror' bits were unsettling without the use of cheap tactics.

At the end of the film, I was very pleased and I would recommend it to any true fans of the supernatural/psychological horror genre. Not recommended for fans of Jump Scare Horror. It's a solid 8/10.

It is not a masterpiece, but it's a great little film.

Eerie, atmospheric and at times genuinely unsettling, its a respectable addition to the haunted house genre. The movie is probably a little too long at just under two hours, but the viewers patience during the slow build up is rewarded with some chilling scenes, added to greatly by the movies creepy sound effects which are utilized extremely craftily. The lead actress, Emily Goss, does a fine job of portraying a tortured individual, akin to the mother in The Babadook, a very different type of haunted house flick. The film makers seem to have made the most of an obviously limited budget and for the most part avoid the usual clichés/tropes movies of a similar nature often surrender to.

While I'm no movie expert, I am a horror fan and not easily scared. Sadly, there's so long between a horror movie which really delivers, but this one did rather well I thought. What makes it all the more joyful, is the lack of reliance on special effects. It's well paced and uses the art of suggestion rather than cheep jump-scares, a style I appreciate. Furthermore, I found myself sympathizing greatly with the female protagonist, another key element in a good horror movie. This movie keeps the viewer speculating and guessing until the end, which I find is the turning point of a scary movie. Nothing is more scary that the unknown, as we well know. This brings me to the only regret I have about this movie, -the ending. I won't reveal anything, but as most suspense movies, the ending leaves the viewer a bit disappointed. I for my part can forgive the movie for this, since it relates to the point above. It's the unknown which is most scary, the sum of possible explanations. As soon as the movie settles on one specific explanation, most of the suspense is diffused. Don't let this keep you from viewing the movie though. I promise, it postpones the inevitable solution as long as possible. All in all; no masterpiece, but delivers as a horror movie.

This is not a film for the impatient, or those whom need everything tied up in a neat bow. If this is horror at all, and it is hard to say it is, it psychological horror only, I would call this an intense psychological drama rather. I originally watched this about a year ago, but it stuck with me, and I felt the desire to watch it again. This is rare for me, as I do not re-watch a great number of films. What brought me back to this film was it's sense of hopelessness, and the main characters lack of control. These are two things the film hits smack on the head, and it creates a sense of dread, as long, as like most spooky films, you can suspend your disbelief.

Tonally, this film is along the lines of "Rosemary's Baby", I am not comparing it in quality, which is inferior to RB, but rather it's storytelling approach. I will never understand someone using old fashioned as an insult, we enjoy many old fashioned things such as "old fashioned sodas", "old fashioned fudge" or "old fashioned taffy", etc, but when it doesn't jibe with what we think or agree, we think Old Fashioned is an insult. This film certainly has old fashioned sensibilities and storytelling, and as such, not everyone will like it.

The only terror in this film, is a lack of control. The lead character feels as though everything is out of control. She wasn't allowed to make a life altering choice, and as such, was forced by those who love her to leave the town she loves and has friends in. She is forced to move to a place she clearly hates, and this is her only means of control, hate and fear. This, in a sense scares her, but gives her power. The very things she fears, in the end come to be, and ultimately, give her what she wants. When you think about the ending in this regard, it makes the lead a fairly diabolical woman. Then ending, which I will not reveal, is not head scratcher, if you pay attention, and try to understand the themes of the film, which I believe I conveyed fairly well above. The ending is both heartbreaking, infuriating, and a relief.

This is an underrated psychological film with a great deal of subtext, and it really requires two viewings to catch what is truly going on here, it isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. The reason people don't enjoy this film is because they want something straight-forward where you take everything at face value, this is a slow-paced subtext heavy film, if that is not your cup of tea, avoid it please.

God Bless ~Amy