House (2008)

Director:

Robby Henson

Writers:

Ted Dekker (novel)
Rob Green (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 March 2009 (Egypt)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The only way out... is in.

Plot:

In rural Alabama, two couples find themselves in a fight for survival. Running from a maniac (The Tin Man) bent on killing them...

Plot Keywords:

Game | Sunrise | Tin Can | Evil | Death

Cast

Michael Madsen	...	Tin Man / Officer
Reynaldo Rosales	...	Jack Singleton
Heidi Dippold	...	Stephanie Singleton
Julie Ann Emery	...	Leslie Taylor
J.P. Davis	...	Randy Messsarue
Lew Temple	...	Pete
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Betty
Bill Moseley	...	Stewart
Pawel Delag	...	Officer Lawdale
Weronika Rosati	...	Mrs. Lawdale
Allana Bale	...	Susan (as Alana Bale)
Mark Fierer	...	Randy's Father
Florentyna Synowiecka	...	Melissa
Andrew Gorzen	...	Leslie's Uncle
Albert Pietrzak	...	Young Randy

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and terror.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Australia:MA (2009) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Lodz, Poland

Company:

More Entertainment

Trivia:

Leslie Easterbrook and Bill Moseley had played "mother and son" once before, in The Devil's Rejects (2005).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The map of Alabama shown during the second scene is actually Florida. The word Alabama was placed over the Choctawhatchee National Forest (Also Egland Airforce Base). This is just south of Alabama, you can even see the Alabama border.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Officer Lawdale: Ssh. It's going to be okay.
Mrs. Lawdale: It's going to be okay? You really mean, it's going to be okay for us?
Officer Lawdale: Not us.
Mrs. Lawdale: Sweet heart?
Officer Lawdale: It's going to be okay, for me...

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Love Saves the Day

watch Steve Miner's 1986 cult classic of the same name instead

Jack and Stephanie, a bickering married couple on their way to couples' counseling, get stranded in the woods after two of their tires get a flat. They find themselves at an old hotel to get out of the pouring rain and possibly call for help. There they find another stranded couple, Leslie and Randy, who are the only other guests there. All four soon find themselves meeting the owner's of the hotel who seem slightly off somehow. They decide to make the best of a bad situation until a maniac known as "the Tin Man" who's outside gives them an ultimatum: They all have till dawn to kill one of the four or they all die. They each have to face their inner demons respectively if they wish to survive the night.

The juxtaposition of the term 'Christian Horror' has always struck me as somewhat peculiar as someone who grew up in the 1980's where a good many of the horror offerings had slightly religious morality: you had premarital sex, you died, you did drugs, you died, etcetera, etc. But I digress, this had something most of the self-monikered 'christian' films lacked, good production values. Making it only doubly sad that the film's saddled with such a cliché story, poor characterization, trite dialog, and mediocre acting. I've heard the book is better, as is often the case, but i'm not reviewing the book. And as a film, this ultimately fails.

My Grade: D+

DVD Extras: Trailers for Bella, & The Spirit. That's all, some director's commentary would've been nice but alas no