Le journal d'Ellen Rimbauer

Using the Stephen King characters from "Rose Red," THE DIARY OF ELLEN RIMBAUER is a prequel to that little saga of a monstrous house that seems to be devouring its victims.

This version of the Rose Red story is handsomely photographed and well acted but suffers from a script that never really bothers to explain anything. The viewer is left pondering plot details up until the very end, when again there is a letdown of even more ambiguity.

Nevertheless, it manages to impress with the performances, the settings, the costumes and the plot itself is a mixed bag of so many thrillers from the past, even including the more genteel JANE EYRE or any of the Victorian novels that dealt with a house of dark decay and a sinister leading man.

STEVEN BRAND is the darkly handsome head of the household whose soul is corrupted by carnal desires, an unfaithful man who brings his bride LISA BRENNER to live in Rose Red, where she is gradually subjected to all sorts of vague fears and terrors and things that go bump in the night.

It's really silly stuff, not to be taken seriously, but does give rise to some goosebumps once in awhile. Eventually, the murky plot just gets muddier and all of the elements mesh into one big, slow-paced thriller that is efficient enough to produce a few chills but too ambiguous for its own good.

I have certainly seen bigger budgeted movies in the genre far worse than this effort, it is competently acted, has some nice visual touches, and the director knows how to best utilise the monolithic house. That said, without genuine suspense it is hard to succeed in the genre, so without a fearful story as well it has little to no chance of making it. The crux of the matter is that the story really isn't that interesting, we have seen and read about this plot on numerous occasions, so for a TV movie to win you round it really is asking way too much. Basic ingredients are all here, creepy house, pretty wife confused, servant with big role to play, and of course the genre staple of sexual deviant husband with dark overtones. The film moves along sedately which is fine if the pay off is worth the wait, sadly it isn't here and it limps over the finish line instead of leaping over as the build up had promised.

Just below average for me, but a gentle round of applause for effort to those involved, 4/10.

I am disappointed because the film never explains the disappearances or the circumstances around Rose Red. I think it would have been better if they tried to convey the cause of the mysterious disappearance of April, Ellen, Sukeena, and anybody else who vanished for no reason. I wish Rose Red existed so we can visit but it's too far-fetched and it doesn't explain the paranormal around the house to the audience. I admired the actresses who played Ellen and Sukeena but I never did understand the relationship as a whole. I felt there were too many unanswered questions about the whole house in general. The house Rose Red mini-series should have answered what happened to the people trapped in the house whether by body or spirits. I was hoping for answers but I didn't get them.

This movie fails to capture any bit of the mystery and intrigue of the best selling book it was based upon. The acting was bland, the effects unappealing and the story uninteresting. I found myself flipping through the channels I was so bored with it. It's a shame the movie turned out so bad because the book was so wonderfully done that I found myself believing that Ellen Rimbauer actually existed and wrote those words herself. The movie did not capture Ellen's innocence and naiveness when she first entered into John's life nor her gradual descent into insanity. My advice is to pass seeing this and go read the book.

I haven't seen the original Rose Red yet, but I did pick up this dvd at the rental store. It was decently acted, had appropriately scary mood music, in other words everything you needed to make a good horror flick. Well apart from heart that is. It just seemed to me like they just weren't trying too hard to make this thing work. It did scare you in various places, but it was almost formulaic scariness. I'd pass on this, unless you've seen Rose Red and wanted to see it's history.

I'll possibly pick up Rose Red at the video store one of these days, or maybe not -- just wasn't compelling enough from this prequel. I'll give it a 6 out of 10.