The Dead Room

Just about everything about this film is good. Good acting, camera- work, lighting, and so on.

The only thing that let it down as far as I am concerned is the ending.

Having built up the story (which was well written and well acted) and drawn the viewer into the events I was expecting more of an explanation through the final sequences of why they had happened.

The ending felt rushed and perhaps edited a bit too much to keep the film within time.

But apart from that, the film was enjoyable and certainly as good as similar films in the horror genre.

I knew nothing about "The Dead Room" prior to finding it. And when I came across it, I was instantly intrigued by the movie cover. So after having read the synopsis, I did indeed decide that this was a movie that I had to watch, especially with my love for the horror genre.

And now with the movie finished and watched, I must admit that "The Dead Room" turned out to be a really nice surprise of a movie. I hadn't really expected much of anything, so I was more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome of director Jason Stutter's movie.

There was a really good atmosphere to be found in the movie, and that atmosphere was really permeating throughout the entire movie, adding a solid foundation for the story to grow on. And it was also especially nice to have the movie start out instantly and throwing the audience into the action from the very beginning. "The Dead Room" is not the type of movie that uses an hour or so to establish the mood and with very little happening in that time. No, "The Dead Room" kicks off in a high gear from the very start and you have no doubt about what is going on.

The effects, while sparse, were actually serving the movie quite well. Again, lots of great use of the atmospheric influences, such as footsteps, banging, opening and closing doors, and the like. Everything a ghost movie needs, you will find it here.

"The Dead Room" has a very little ensemble of performing actors and actresses, so there was a bit more pressure on the performances of these few people. But fear not, Jed Brophy (playing Liam), Jeffrey Thomas (playing Scott) and Laura Petersen (playing Holly) really performed quite well, and they were very committed to their roles. These were, for me at least, three entirely new faces, so it was nice to see someone new for a change.

This is definitely a horror movie that you should take the time to sit down and watch, because it is a surprisingly good movie. And it is rare to find a horror movie that starts out as intense and fast paced as this one did.

There is a few twists and turns to the story along the way, but the major plot twist was actually quite nice, and it sat very well to my liking, and it was a great reveal once it was out in the open. I will not give anything away here, of course, because I believe that a movie should be enjoyed and experienced on your own accord.

I read that some people didn't like the ending to the movie in other reviews. I, however, found it to be an adequate ending. It was generic and predictable, for sure, it it served the movie and the story well enough.

I don't quite understand some of the low reviews for this film, except perhaps that some people only appreciate fast paced, gore infused, CGI blockbusters. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. While the premise is not unique, the acting was very good, the dialogue well scripted, and the setting was excellent. Shooting a movie with only three primary actors is difficult, this movie pulled it off. While suspense builds slowly, it works well. With the onset of supernatural occurrences, the characters, for the most part, react like real people.

The ending was unexpected, and from my perspective, added an interesting twist I did not see coming.

All in all, I was not disappointed by this New Zealand addition to the horror genre. I rarely am when it comes to international horror. If you like a simple 'haunted house visited by paranormal investigators' film, I recommend this one.

People here forget to imagine what would be like being in a supposedly haunted house. There are no zombies or ghosts jumping after 5 minutes of the movie, or CGI everywhere.. and I'm glad. Slow pacing, brilliant light & shadow photography.

What can I say? It left me wanting more. Characters are uncomfortable near each other and so they should, since they don't know each other very well anyway.

The end could be extended and reworked a little better, but all in all, until the final ending, it is a thrilling experience from start to finish, one of the best suspense/horror spirit movies i saw this year.

Don't let the low grade keep you from watching it. If you like ghost movies, slow paced suspense with a somewhat real touch to happenings, this is a must.

An interesting little movie really. The bad - The acting from some members was a bit stilted and there was no sense of history between them. We never got to know the backstory so I didn't really care for them. The reactions looked as if they were at times waiting for an offset director to give them the 'GO!' so the action can be added in later through CGI. The story line was a little too simple and the ending was a bit of a let down.

The good - loved that it was raw. Not overblown. I liked the slow build and that it felt subtle during the build-up. I liked it wasn't American, so no over the top teenagers screaming, no excessive CGI or ridiculous music. It was simple, so no 100 takes and angles, just straight shooting. As much as I complain about the actors in 'the bad' I enjoyed their presence (odd, I know).

It wasn't terrible, it wasn't great but I did think about it afterwards which is a bonus point. And, I'd watch it again.

So 5 for making me think.