The Guest House

While far from one of the best movies I've ever seen this was better than expected. Maybe my expectations were just low but I enjoyed it.

You just can't take your eyes off the screen for some reason. The acting is good as well.

Some scenes are unintentionally funny but for the most part it's quite gripping.

Definitely worth a watch.

The acting is horrid. Granted, the script they're working with is terrible. But still. I laughed more at this movie than I have at comedies. It's worth a watch if you need a good laugh or twenty. If you're looking for an actual good thriller, look elsewhere.

I thought I was renting a cheesy horror film based on the cover on Amazon. However, I was greatly surprised. This is a well made, stalker movie, which actually plays more like a dark comedy/psychological thriller. Yes, the film was low budget, but was executed with a lot of effort and craftsmanship. Everything from the music, writing, acting, casting, was superbly done.

I often found myself laughing out loud at the premise of the movie. Imagine being stalked and pursued, by a six foot 7, muscular-athletic, black man, who has a crush on you and won't leave you alone, because he's lonely, and decided that you were his soul-mate. Tom Alper, who I've never heard of before, played the part to if not to perfection, then to a tee. At first you think Alper is a first rate jerk, since he's part racist, part homophobe, cheats on his ex. But the more you watch Alper, you realize he's not such a bad guy, just rough around the edges. In fact, Alper slowly wins you over as you see how much he loves his daughter, and his ex.

Just when you start feeling empathy for the lead, you realize what a mess he's in, and what a mess he's created for his family. Which of course, is what the writers had in mind. All of this leads to an exciting, action-packed climax and resolution. Alper's emotionally charged, crying scene at the end as he pleads with the villain, had me literally on the edge of my seat.

This film is fun, entertaining, original and about 100 times better than the average indy film. Big thumbs up.

The Guest House is an offbeat quirky thriller that puts a fresh twist on the Stalker Genre. Jake Roth, (Tom Alper), is kicked out of his house, and with limited funds and bad credit must find a place to live. Enter Max Foster, the seemingly perfect landlord with a cool-back house, (pool included), for rent. Jake and Max bond right away, becoming best of friends. That is of course, until Jake uncovers Max's dark secret. When Jake realizes he must distance himself from Max, the intensity truly begins.

This is clearly a low budget "indie", which is unusually well made for its seemingly modest budget. The acting is superb, with fine performances across the board, including some of the supporting roles by Daniel Baldwin who is perfectly cast as the arrogant-jerk boss. And Eileen Davidson, (Emmy award winning actress), who gives a rememberable performance as the "villians' therapist, who is put in an unenviable task of trying to provide therapy to a "psychopath".

The story is also very engaging, as it mixes dark humor, and plenty of action, into what is ultimately a psychological thriller. The film also features quite a compelling score that only adds towards the films appeal.

Perhaps if this movie was made by a big studio, with a big budget and big stars, The Guest House would have made of a lot more noise on a national, and worldwide level. But that is not to take away from this film. This is a fun, well made film, that won numerous awards at the Hollywood Reel Independent Festival. The Guest House keeps your attention, from beginning to end, and is well worth the hour and a half of your time.

Bad acting, unbelievable plot and characters. Don't understand how they even got financing to make this.