The girl "Clara" of this movie's title climbs up to a tree-house and is, apparently, pushed to her death. One look at this dangerous tree-house and you're going to wonder how any parent let it stand. Twenty years later, incredibly, the tree-house is still standing. The adults who lived on the property, and their neighbors, are not too smart when it comes to recognizing an obvious hazard. After this tragedy, we are introduced what looks like a female vigilante in the form of small but steely-armed Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Helen). She appears to rescue a different little girl from some unknown peril. The scene abruptly ends, and we presume it ended horribly because Ms. Vaugier turns out to be having a nightmarish flashback. Presently, she's an ex-police detective looking to end a stressful life. That's not going to be easy...
Vaugier and her family move from Boston, Massachusetts to their beautiful new home in small-town Hallowell. Yes, it's the house with the dangerous tree-house. And, no, they don't plan to take it down. Vaugier's husband is muscular architect Richard Ruccolo (as Mike Clayton). Fifteen-year-old Eva Link (as Emma) and nine-year-old Ella Ballentine (as Kate) are their children. The daughters perform adequately and strengthen the movie by looking and acting like real sisters. Although it seems like a manageable drive to Hallowell, the female residents exclaim the house, "looks so much bigger in real life!" Odd that an architect's family would not have visited, before moving into the new home. Strange things happen almost immediately, and creepy neighbor Jonathan Potts (as Arnold "Arnie" Gray) arrives with a house-warming gift...
From noisy pipes to a nosy neighbor, events are very routine. This may be the intention. Writer-director Andrew C. Erin completes the TV movie thriller skillfully, but without much excitement. There are some puzzling choices, in addition to the dangerous tree-house (someone should have at least mentioned it should be removed). Like, have the older daughter sit in the car's front seat with mom while the younger daughter talks to her "imaginary friend." She's their mother, not their chauffeur; the "imaginary friend" should be spookier. Much of the regular stuff is handled well enough, with Mr. Erin and the crew doing exceptionally well in scenes with ethnically-cast best friend Rachelle Casseus (as Anna). We don't know why she turned up in the small town, but Ms. Casseus is perfect and her last scene may be the story's highlight.
**** Clara's Deadly Secret (2013-10-25) Andrew C. Erin ~ Emmanuelle Vaugier, Richard Ruccolo, Jonathan Potts, Eva Link
