House of Good and Evil (2013)

Very disappointing...

Strong and Moving!

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Why is it that modern horror films are merely "narratives" that end, leaving you with virtually nothing? This one is right there with the above. It could have been good. The suspense keeps you interested, but nothing happens. No explanations, nothing. Are we introduced to madness, domestic abuse, vivid imagination, nightmares or was I dreaming? Believe me, it could have been that I fell asleep and participated in my own convoluted dream myself. But I'd be accused of inciting boredom if I related any of this stuff to anybody else. Oh, and who would want to start all over in a house with no electricity, phone, and maybe no bathroom; we don't know. And what really lurks behind the blue door? You'll have to supply that too. Don't bother with this one. You'll get angry.

This is one of those films that makes you say "what?" to the television a lot, partly because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense at times and partly because the sound levels are sometimes inconsistent. You might have to keep fiddling with the volume to follow some of the mumble shots without getting overwhelmed by the background music used to let you know that something suspenseful must have happened. I was often left guessing about that. There's one particular scene in which the trees apparently make rumbling noises of some sort, and the music lets you know that that's very, very scary, whatever it is.My fiancée fell asleep about 10 minutes into it, which tells you something about the degree to which it merits being included in the "thriller" category. I can sit through almost anything, but I did look it up on IMDb for a bit since there wasn't much going on on the screen. This one would be a hard one to get through in a theater.It picks up a little bit in the middle, but I can't say there's much reason to stick it out. I suspect that whatever festival buzz it got is because it's sort of about wife abuse, though it's not totally clear what it's trying to say about it, other than that it's bad. Some of the acting is OK.

After a family tragedy in the chaotic city, Chris and Maggie Conley, in a last-ditch effort to save their dying marriage, purchase an isolated home in the deepest woods, to which they quickly discover evil has a key.What do we have? A great looking picture, solid acting and plenty of atmosphere. And for what it's worth, the poster is wonderfully designed. So nice to see something artistic and not the same old tropes.The film is a bit of what you might call the "slow burn", not really picking up until about 53 minutes in (and then creating tension by using music derivative of ABC's "Lost" before slowing back down).Director David Mun has a long list of credits going back to 2001, mostly in technical categories (lighting and electrical). This is actually his directing debut, which makes it even more impressive.

For a low budget this film came out, well OK.I would love to write about the plot and all of that but I do not have the strength, I saw it so many times before.When movies were made so many times already, how can we write anything about a film we saw so many times before just in a little different package.Since I have to fill my 10 lines I will say that I liked the actress which carried the main role. She really tried hard the poor thing.I do not know what else to add about this film.If you have nothing better to do you can watch this film.If you have something better to do do not watch this film.