Treehouse

I watched this movie before release and was anticipating some mystery and maybe even a bit of horror. There were no ratings or reviews so I watched it without knowing what to expect. All I got was a dragged out film that went nowhere... Judging by the poster you would think that this movie involved some seriously creepy and exciting plot.. But it was quite the opposite and frankly a waste of time. With a disappointing ending that didn't boost my thoughts of the movie. If you are looking for horror, certainly don't watch this movie. I suppose at most you could call it a Mystery. Overall highly disappointing and not a movie exciting or good enough to watch with a friend.

I can't agree with all the negative reviews on here. Yes, this film has problems, mainly in its somewhat slipshod final act. But at the heart of this film are two very likeable characters, well-portrayed and relatable. The slow-burning tension builds well. You root for the characters.

Again, not perfect. The last act, when our protagonists finally turned the tables on their tormentors, was frankly a bit of a mess and I have to dock points for it. Still, until that point, I found it an earnest and enjoyable film.

Just how do these awful films keep getting made? It's something that tends to happen a lot in the horror genre, though calling Treehouse a horror movie is a bit of stretch.

It's difficult to grasp just what the makers were going for since the film goes nowhere fast and quickly loses focus to the point that nothing much makes sense. It starts off promising enough, with a nice musical score and some nifty location photography work. Then it piles on the exposition, throws in some poor acting, all building towards a laughable finale that is most certainly not worth waiting for - and again the reveal doesn't make any sense given what had happened earlier in the piece.

Poor and best avoided unless you want to feel angry? 2/10

A teenage boy discovers the perpetrators of several brutal kidnappings in his home town.

This film was co-produced by Ed Sanchez (Blair Witch Project), which is just about the only name recognition it has. And even that is a bit of a stretch outside of serious horror fans.

Dave Alexander says the film has "some realistic, likable characters to root for, genuinely frightening and savage antagonists, some brutally effective kills and constant tension". Despite this glowing praise, Alexander goes on to call the movie "stupid" due in part to how it resolves its problems.

Without addressing the second part, one must concur with the first part. After twenty minutes or so of rather boring, pointless exposition, we get to the heart of the film. Very tense, very well shot, and a haunting score. This is not a great film, though it has so many great elements that it will be interesting to see what those involved do next -- and it is almost worth championing this film for that reason.

The best thing about "Treehouse" is the horrifying poster that came out along with the movie. Whoever made the poster did a great job of getting the attention of any potential viewer and it's incredibly creepy. Otherwise, however, it's a movie I just cannot recommend. In so many ways, it looks a lot like a high school student project, but with quite a bit more money and quality behind it.

"Treehouse" has a very simple plot. Two brothers go into the woods and once there they discover a missing teen. She's been holed up inside a treehouse for several days...hiding from someone or something that has been stalking her and her brother. At times the film tries to introduce more plot through some flashbacks, but essentially this is the plot. Ultimately, there is a showdown--some of which I actually liked, as the most unlikely looking action hero of all time (J. Michael Trautmann) rises to the occasion.

So why am I cold about this film? Well, it looks and sounds like the movie just isn't ready to be seen by the public. The script could use a lot of work. When it comes to the dialog, much of it just sounded unreal and takes you out of the experience...especially with the missing girl continually and inexplicably calling the hero 'Baby Bear'. The characters also talk and scream A LOT for folks hiding out in a treehouse in order to avoid being killed!! Rule number one of avoiding death is that you should consider being quiet when you are hiding from psycho killers! The film is also overlong and would benefit from omitting the flashbacks, tightening up the first portion of the film and simply concentrating on the action-- and it was a bit better during some of the action sequences. Considering that the filmmakers really haven't a lot of experience, maybe this film is simply a way for them to hone their skills while making a few mistakes along the way. If so, there is a bit of promise and they might be bringing us something more polished and viewer-ready in the future. As for "Treehouse", however, I just can't see spending your hard-earned money to buy or rent the film when there are better films like it already.