Length: 12:05
Genre: Horror
Date: 2012
Rating: ★★★★☆
Rating: ★★★★☆
Logline: Thinking there's an intruder downstairs, a couple find a former resident instead.
This is a decent first effort from ITiz productions, which presents a modern twist on the old haunted house plot. Elizabeth Baillie and Paul Massie are good on screen. Both act naturally, keep the Scottish accent well maintained and deliver their reasonably written lines with good effect. But Archie, played by Steven Patrick, is a little more hammy which takes us out of the story more than it should. The story sometimes delves into unbelievable territory though. The couples unusual reaction to finding an auld codger in their living room is off putting, Archie's unclear intentions, is he good or evil? He doesn't warn them about what I think is a gas leak, and it's not too clear what the flash and bang of him disappearing is either. When the friend calls round in the morning, her actions are also rather unrealistic. She doesn't even check for a pulse for gawd's sake. And trust me, phone calls to the emergency services don't sound like that in real life.
The atmospheric blue tint is a nice touch and there's some good use of lighting in the night shots. Camerawork isn't always brilliant but does well to cope with the limited space. The soundtrack feels a little misused and although the music is rich and evocative, (bloody heartbeat effect slips in there mind) it's not always used to maximise tension. The exception to the rule is in the end sequence where it works extremely well with the visuals to end on a really good note. That last scene is probably the highlight where there is a good strong emotional resonance between the film and the audience.
There's some rookie mistakes of course. Some staggered lines, an edit making up for missing shots, cheesy swipes on the introduction credits etc. Watch out for that dodgy special effect at the end too. Overall, although the story has a few plot holes and it's not always clear, there is a good attempt to create an emotionally engaging piece of work.
This is a decent first effort from ITiz productions, which presents a modern twist on the old haunted house plot. Elizabeth Baillie and Paul Massie are good on screen. Both act naturally, keep the Scottish accent well maintained and deliver their reasonably written lines with good effect. But Archie, played by Steven Patrick, is a little more hammy which takes us out of the story more than it should. The story sometimes delves into unbelievable territory though. The couples unusual reaction to finding an auld codger in their living room is off putting, Archie's unclear intentions, is he good or evil? He doesn't warn them about what I think is a gas leak, and it's not too clear what the flash and bang of him disappearing is either. When the friend calls round in the morning, her actions are also rather unrealistic. She doesn't even check for a pulse for gawd's sake. And trust me, phone calls to the emergency services don't sound like that in real life.
The atmospheric blue tint is a nice touch and there's some good use of lighting in the night shots. Camerawork isn't always brilliant but does well to cope with the limited space. The soundtrack feels a little misused and although the music is rich and evocative, (bloody heartbeat effect slips in there mind) it's not always used to maximise tension. The exception to the rule is in the end sequence where it works extremely well with the visuals to end on a really good note. That last scene is probably the highlight where there is a good strong emotional resonance between the film and the audience.
There's some rookie mistakes of course. Some staggered lines, an edit making up for missing shots, cheesy swipes on the introduction credits etc. Watch out for that dodgy special effect at the end too. Overall, although the story has a few plot holes and it's not always clear, there is a good attempt to create an emotionally engaging piece of work.
Best Bit: Emotional end scene.
Final thought: See the size of their telly! Takes up most of the wall, lucky gits.
Worst Bit: Not altogether clear plot. What's Archie's motivation here? Why's the pal so desperate to get in?
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
Good review, think you hit the nail on the head :)
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