House of Bad

I had no expectation to this movie and hadn't even checked out the rating or the reviews on IMDb, so little did I know what kind of snooze-fest I were in for here.

"House of Bad", well it would be more appropriate with "House of Boredom". Why? Well, because it was a slow paced horror movie that didn't really accomplish much of anything. The attempts to build up suspense didn't work, as there was little to be frightened by throughout the entire movie, unless you consider the lack of a proper story scary.

The movie just trotted along at a fairly slow pace, with no ups and downs as horror movies usually do, tending to be a roller-coaster of thrills, screams and scares. The movie was essentially just three women sitting around in a house, where they saw the "ghosts" of their past coming to haunt them.

It might actually have worked if the women actually were believing in it themselves. But they didn't, and that lack of commitment and enthusiasm clearly cast a long shadow over the entire movie, making it a less than adequate or enjoyable experience.

I actually gave up just 15 minutes from the ending, as I really didn't need to see how this mundane movie ended, and if it kept up with the rest of the movie, I assume that I wasn't missing out on a grand surprise or twist of the plot.

"House of Bad" wasn't really my kind of movie, but I am sure that there is an audience out there for it somewhere. I prefer to be more entertained and have an occasional scare here and there, or at the very least have a dark atmosphere to carry the movie.

A mere, but generous, 3 stars out of 10 for this movie from me.

Horrible acting, horrible plot, horrible execution. This really makes me wonder what it takes to get a film financed and distributed. From the beginning shots, where the camera was jerking all over the place, to the next shots, where the camera was panning from person to person (only afford one camera, guys?) this was a joke in cinematography. I think the guy who was shooting the hand-held camera scenes had Parkinson's, no kidding. Odd thing is that the story wasn't bad. In a real director's hands with competent actors, it might have been a good flick. Yeah, I know everybody's got to start somewhere, but this definitely was NOT the place for these girls to start.

Well actually it's not all bad but this three girl, sister thriller is not too great either. Has a three out of ten rating here on IMDb, so will go just one notch higher. The acting and characters are certainly lively but it falls short on many fronts, including plot, script and any type of real gripping action. Just about watchable to the final, unsatisfying conclusion.

Sure, you could go and spend x amount of your hard-earned dollars to go and see the most recent blockbuster playing in an overcrowded theater near you. That's your every right. But have you ever considered some of those lesser known names? Some that aren't on the Hollywood A-list? You know, one of those movies you come across on Netflix but won't watch because you don't know who made it/stars in it? You might be surprised what is out there. To which proves this little film. Shot in a mere 8 days with a budget which is a fraction of a typical blockbuster, House of Bad focuses on three siblings returning to their elderly home after one of the sisters steals a large suitcase filled with heroin from her boyfriend. Little do they know, the house that was once their childhood home, is now confronting the girls with a cruel past.

With a few eerie scenes, underlined by a great soundtrack (courtesy of Terry Huud) and several great suspense moments you could easily classify this as a thriller/mild horror. Yet the film has more to offer. The characters are well explained, with the family history as a central plot to the movie, you can find yourself caring for the characters. Director/co-writer Jim Towns clearly did a great job making this, especially considering the ridiculous small amount of time and money that was put into this.

If you get a chance to watch this, go for it. It's a great 1.36h ride.

4/5. Independent cinema. Done right.

A girl is sleeping with a guy. When he falls asleep she grabs a suitcase and leaves. She meets up with two other girls and they drive to a house. The house is familiar to them. Teig who is the girl in charge collects their cell phones and announces that they will stay there for two weeks until no one is looking for them anymore. Little by little we learn what is going on.

Teig and Sirah are sisters. Lily is their half sister. Teig was imprisoned, Sirah is a stripper and Lily is a junkie. By stealing the case full of drugs they hope to make a new life for themselves in Mexico. The house is their childhood home. As Teig gets more abusive Lily can't resist the temptation of a case full of drugs and Sirah in secret sends a text message to someone.

But there's something else going on. The girls start having visions and seeing things that occurred in the past. When Teig and Sirah were little, their mom was pregnant. At some point she admitted to her husband that the kid was someone else's. Meanwhile he was cheating on her with another woman. The husband lost it. When things went wrong with her pregnancy he offered no help. And for some reason he ended up locking little Teig in the basement. Now all that pain and suffering is coming back to haunt the girls.

House of Bad is a B action/horror thriller. It features excellent and confident direction and very good acting by the sexy girls. There's a bit of violence and nudity. The story is interesting because it combines the business of stealing the drugs and hiding with a bit of the supernatural. It does get somewhat boring as usually happens with psychological horror, especially when you confine people in a room or house for most of the movie. And the occasional shaky/floating camera-work gives this movie a cheaper look than it deserves because otherwise the movie looks good and bright. Fortunately it stays away from night and rain and the usual gimmicks for the most part. House of Bad is a success for a low budget movie.