The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (2003)

The greatest movie ever made..!

How sad is this?

Better Late Then Never

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This film describes the events chronicled by Ellen Rimbauer the wife of John Rimbauer. John who is shown in the film as a man who indulged in sexual excess and numerous affairs with women before and after marriage to Ellen. John gifts the mansion Rose Red to Ellen after a safari to Africa where Ellen falls prey to a mysterious ailment. When in Africa she befriends an African woman called Sukeena who she brings back with her. After settling in the mansion a series of bizarre disappearances occur, and it seems that the mansion is possessed by a malevolent spirit. Ellen is advise by her friend to consult a medium called Madame Lu. Madame Lu is actually a fraud and is wanted by the police. A bizarre and genuine manifestation occurs however during one of the seances.The suspense in the film is excellent and builds up gradually. John is portrayed by a handsome Steven Brand and Ellen by beautiful Lisa Brenner. Sukeena is portrayed by excellent actress Tsidii Le Loka.The sexual scenes in the film are intense and (while not too revealing) erotic. This film is therefore not for viewers below 18.Beautiful flawless direction by Craig R. Baxley and overall a better film and prequel to Rose red.

Ellen Rimbauer's Diary clearly explains that there were Native American workers, an accident, a subsequent curse, and so the ground is soured as in the Mic Mac burial grounds in Stephen King's Pet Sematary. It also pointedly states that because of John Rimbauer's "sins," atonement had to be made."Build me to the heavens" was the house's price for that atonement. That the deaths started before the house was ever completed further substantiates the sour ground theory. The subsequent disappearances were a direct result of Ellen's bargain with the house (and the ground upon which it lay), as these victims were taken and used as builders from "the other side." The house had two distinct sides; one that was here and one which was on the other side of the veil. Those victims built from that side, as Ellen's contractors built on this side, thereby giving the house the ability to morph itself by changing hallways, floor levels, etc. by manipulating the lay of the Veil. That idea was further explained in the actual movie, "Rose Red" when you see Emory's mother coming at him through the mirror. Mirrors are oftentimes used as portals; gateways through the Veil.I did, however, have issues with this supplemental in that the movie goes out of its way to plainly document the passing of Rimbauer's partner, Posey. He passed Adam the Tom Nix hat and threw a rose to April who caught it before he hangs himself. In this work, however, those poignant details are forgotten, as if the actual body of work which this supplements was negatable. I realize that for some critics, that is true, but for a work which supports another, that is unforgivable. Of all the discrepancies and continuity errors to be found between the two works, those two details stand out the most, and pretty much kill the atmosphere built by the work. Otherwise, I found this quite informative, beautifully done, and praise-worthy considering what it attempts to do.Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to its own expectations and thereby disappointed the fans who needed this necessary back-story to feel a kinship with the house and the story that is "Rose Red."It rates a 6.4/10 from...the Fiend :.

I have to agree that 'The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer' was better than 'Rose Red', but I did wish that they kind of used more of Ellen and John's marital woes. Anyone who has read the book will understand or disagree that there should have been more scenes with disturbing bedroom acts. I am not talking hardcore, just allow the person to truly feel why Ellen feared her husband so. Like I said, you can either agree or disagree. Overall, I loved it. You can really see John's evil.

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer was supposed to be the prequel to answer some of the questions about Rose Red's history from last years mini-series. Instead, it seems like Rose Red answers more questions about The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. The story and acting were well done and pretty easy to follow. To say the least, it does keep your interest. It starts out with the building of Rose Red and how there was a nurder the day the a young and engaged Ellen Rimbauer first lays eyes on the place. The Diary of ER was entertaining, it still left a few unanswered questions and a wanting for more. My first and perhaps biggest complaint was the fact the place and the atmosphere seemed foreboding and dark, there was not as much a supernatural element to it as Rose Red. People disappeared in it, but if I recall correctly one was a famous lady who disappeared. Instead we get to see the horrors of how much a philandering, sex addicted and possibly sypohilis infected bastard John Rimbauer was and how everybody he slept with then disappeared in the house. He was basically the worst seen being in the Rose Red mansion. The movie also came up short in that it stopped before Ellen and her faithful friend from Africa also disappeared or had something happen to them in the house. There was not the horror or even suspense element that had been in Rose Red.The house's history had been made somehow less scary than what it had been in the subsequent movie that followed it. Like, I said the movie was decent, but it left you wanting more of everything. It was lacking in detail and horror. It was a decent movie about a mysterious place and the sadness suffered by a women with a sex addicted and philandering husband but little else. A little more hooror and suspense, not to mention detail would have been nice.