Casa do Terror

I didn't expect much seeing as how even the rental box looked somewhat cheesy. Here it's called 'Hellion: The Devil's Playground' how spooky, too bad it didn't live up to it's title. I didn't like any of the characters, well, except Danny, he was the only one who didn't annoy me. I found myself laughing at situations instead of being scared. The deaths, special effects and even acting is incredibly lame. This plot has been done many times before, and more creatively at that. I didn't feel sorry for the characters dying at all, only thing I regret is paying 3 dollars too much for this video. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like low-budget, unoriginal horrors.

Another day, another dodgy horror. Oh well, let's get on with it. There's this outside shed, ya see? And children used to be sacrificed to the devil there. This would understandably affect property values, so you can't blame estate agent Craig McLachlan (!!) from being less than forthcoming when he sells it and the adjoining house to a single mother, her rebellious teenage son and two smaller kiddywinks. It isn't long before the littlest ones are sneaking off at night to the hut, cutting their arms and experiencing a complete change in personality. A sign something demonic is on the loose... or maybe they're going through that difficult emo phase?

When the biggest threat is KILLER GIANT VINES, you know you're in trouble. The silliness of the enterprise is summed up by the final 'epic' confrontation, which if nothing else, breaks down new boundaries in excessive incoherence. As for the victims, the ones you expect to perish bite the bullet... in the exact order you'd anticipate, too. The only thing shocking here is the glimpse or two we get of an early 21st century computer which seems as outdated now as MySpace. What's that, you ask? Exactly. 4/10

Suffice it to say that this substandard B has nothing to save it - not an interesting plot or even one tolerably decent actor. Josh Leonard of Blair Witch fame does little to help matters. Do yourself a favor and leave this one on the shelf at your local video store.

I actually used to live where this movie was filmed. The scenes with the titular cubbyhouse were filmed at Duranbah Primary School in NSW, basically in the middle of nowhere. The movie is pretty simple- an American family move to the Australian suburbs and there's something wrong with the cubbyhouse in their backyard and everyone in town seems to know something about it. It dabbles in black magic and satanic rituals, sadly though this still didn't make it horrifying or chilling in the least. The acting is poor, as are the special effects. For something released in 2001 it feels more like an 80's movie. It doesn't do a great job of sucking you in but it was an interesting enough concept.

After a troubled divorce in the United States, Lynn Graham (Belinda McClory) returns to her hometown in Australia with her teenage son Danny (Joshua Leonard) and the children Ivan (Joshua Tainish-Biagi) and Natalie (Amy Reti) that were born in America. Lynn can only afford to buy and old house nearby her sister's home and the real state agent Bill (Craig McLachlan) omits the clause that the house should never be sold to a family with children.

Ivan and Natalie are fascinated by the wendy house in the backyard and soon they are possessed by an evil force that is trapped within the cubby house. Meanwhile Danny dates his next door neighbor Bronwyn (Lauren Hewett) and they meet the disturbed Harlow (Jerome Ehlers), whose brother Harrison has been interned in a madhouse for thirty years after slaughtering his two children in a satanic ritual. Danny has nightmares and notes that the behavior of his siblings is weird. Further, he finds that they have drawn the cubby house exactly identical to the drawing made by the diseased children.

"Cubbyhouse" is not an unforgettable or great horror B-movie. However, it is not so bad as the IMDb User Rating (2.9) indicates. The story is not original or scary and has many flaws, like for example, how could Lynn's sister ignore the past of the evil house or many characters that dies or vanish without any further consequence, but it is enjoyable. For a 2001 low-budget film, the special effects are reasonable despite the rip-off "Evil Dead" camera work. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Casa do Terror" ("House of the Terror")