Overall, this was old-fashioned family-friendly horror fare (based on a 1973 children's book by John Bellairs) with modern CGI flourish (some effects were very good, some not as good). More jaded adults may find the proceedings on the corny side, but hey, the target audience are younger kids who will get a kick out of the (mostly) nifty magic, (generally) tame scares, and (silly) slapstick comedy.
At first, I thought this would be a fantasy film, like "A Wrinkle in Time" earlier this year (which almost caused me to give this one a miss). I was surprised that it turned out to be a HORROR film -- for kids! When the closing credits started to roll and I saw the name of Eli Roth as director, I was taken aback. Roth was notorious for his graphic horror films like "Hostel" (2005) and "The Green Inferno" (2013). But of course, Roth gave this one a kid-friendly thrills and gore, slimy and disgusting as kids love it. Even I enjoyed that scene with the attack of the evil Jack O'Lanterns with their bright orange goo they barfed out.
The most Rated SPG (Strict Parental Guidance) horror scene was the cemetery scene where Lewis performed a necromantic occult blood ritual to impress a popular kid at school. That scary scene was executed to give young kids nightmares. Like the Harry Potter films, there were some fantastic beasts here too, such as the topiary lion who had poor toilet training. The rest of horror techniques Roth employed ranged from sudden little jump scares to very creepy life size doll scenes.
Finally! An original thought comes out of Hollywood. Or as original as it can get. Here's a story about a magical clock ticking within the walls of an old, supposedly haunted, house. We don't find out why, how or what it means until later.
Watching "House" is like being on a massive sugar high: It’s way too fast, very confusing, and eventually causes you as a viewer to crash and fight falling asleep. Why horror director Eli Roth and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke were chosen to helm this project is a mystery given that neither are known for family entertainment, and it really shows here.
The kids in my screening laughed a ton, and I probably would have liked this too in my younger years, but I feel the pain of their parents who must pay for them to see it and watch good actors like Black and Blanchett act like one-dimensional cartoons. Director Roth is expectedly more comfortable in the horror scenes than the comedic ones, but I found much of the humor flat. At least I earned a free popcorn the next time I go to the theater and heard a comparably interesting podcast about the proper temperature of wine on the ride back home.
"House" is a boring, drawn-out fantasy with mostly uninteresting direction, a rushed script, and unlikable characters that had me in an epic battle to avoid sleeping in my comfy seat. As with "The Nun", I must ask why this isn’t an October release. Its creepy visuals and tone are tailor-made for tweens on a stormy night, but adults will likely be bored by this. At one point, a character says to young Lewis, “It’s a total waste of time”. I couldn’t agree more, young sir. Skip it.
At first, I thought this would be a fantasy film, like "A Wrinkle in Time" earlier this year (which almost caused me to give this one a miss). I was surprised that it turned out to be a HORROR film -- for kids! When the closing credits started to roll and I saw the name of Eli Roth as director, I was taken aback. Roth was notorious for his graphic horror films like "Hostel" (2005) and "The Green Inferno" (2013). But of course, Roth gave this one a kid-friendly thrills and gore, slimy and disgusting as kids love it. Even I enjoyed that scene with the attack of the evil Jack O'Lanterns with their bright orange goo they barfed out.
The most Rated SPG (Strict Parental Guidance) horror scene was the cemetery scene where Lewis performed a necromantic occult blood ritual to impress a popular kid at school. That scary scene was executed to give young kids nightmares. Like the Harry Potter films, there were some fantastic beasts here too, such as the topiary lion who had poor toilet training. The rest of horror techniques Roth employed ranged from sudden little jump scares to very creepy life size doll scenes.
Fred Hawson
Fred-Said
Finally! An original thought comes out of Hollywood. Or as original as it can get. Here's a story about a magical clock ticking within the walls of an old, supposedly haunted, house. We don't find out why, how or what it means until later.
There's plenty of CGI to keep it interesting and nothing over the top. The living bush and the chair, which move, are endearing. Just watch out of shooting leaves. The movie reminded me of all the Goosebumps stories and falls completely in line with that theme. So it is child-friendly even if it is rated PG. The story moves along and you can't fail to empathize with Vaccaro. No cheap jump scares here. Vaccaro is the outstanding character here. Black is a convincing warlock and Blanchett carries her role well although there could have been more back story on them. It's an enjoyable movie zipping through its 105 minutes.
Kevin Nowicki
Arizona Daily Miner
Watching "House" is like being on a massive sugar high: It’s way too fast, very confusing, and eventually causes you as a viewer to crash and fight falling asleep. Why horror director Eli Roth and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke were chosen to helm this project is a mystery given that neither are known for family entertainment, and it really shows here.
The kids in my screening laughed a ton, and I probably would have liked this too in my younger years, but I feel the pain of their parents who must pay for them to see it and watch good actors like Black and Blanchett act like one-dimensional cartoons. Director Roth is expectedly more comfortable in the horror scenes than the comedic ones, but I found much of the humor flat. At least I earned a free popcorn the next time I go to the theater and heard a comparably interesting podcast about the proper temperature of wine on the ride back home.
"House" is a boring, drawn-out fantasy with mostly uninteresting direction, a rushed script, and unlikable characters that had me in an epic battle to avoid sleeping in my comfy seat. As with "The Nun", I must ask why this isn’t an October release. Its creepy visuals and tone are tailor-made for tweens on a stormy night, but adults will likely be bored by this. At one point, a character says to young Lewis, “It’s a total waste of time”. I couldn’t agree more, young sir. Skip it.
Kevin Thomas
Fayetteville (GA) Citizen
Fayetteville (GA) Citizen
No comments:
Post a Comment