Raymond I noticed this in Netflix and immediately wondered why I hadn't heard of it before. I mean look at the cast and the director is a six time Oscar nominee, it's got to be good. And it was to a point, but after watching the movie I now understand why I hadn't heard of it.The setup and idea is great, but having also read that the movie was later edited without the director makes it quite clear that the production was a bit of a mess. Had the director had his way, this would probably have been a lot better. It's probably for the most part editing that makes this a dud, because the acting and atmosphere work quite well.Still this movie isn't completely ruined, but rather enjoyable. Only the ending is a bit so-so as the build up is not nearly as good as it should be. I wasn't also that sure about the whole outcome, but I was also getting a bit tired towards the end, so I may have missed a clue or two. But to me it seemed as if they kind of forgot the sub plot and concentrated too much on Daniel Craig and building up that part of the script.I don't know if I will ever watch this again, but this is one of those movies that _should_ make you want to watch it again after the movie ends, to catch all those clues.

areatw I read a few reviews of 'Dream House' before I watched it and saw that it had a lot of haters. Half way through and I was struggling to see why, everything was going so well. It was building up nicely and I was expecting a dramatic and revealing ending.Instead I was left somewhat perplexed as to what had actually happened. Once it had finished I still had plenty of unanswered questions and it was only once I'd thought it through several times over (with a little help from the internet) that I got my answers. Even so, it was far too complicated for my liking and the plot was hardly convincing. As if one ludicrous plot twist isn't enough, this film springs 2 or 3 on you.The absurdity of the plot completely ruins this movie, which is a shame because it had potential. The film itself isn't that bad, it's well written and acted, which makes it even more frustrating. They tried to be too clever and it backfired badly.

Gregory Mucci What happens when you take a re-hashed who-done-it ghost story, throw in accomplished Irish director Jim Sheridan (Bloody Sunday, In America) and add an overly controlling production company? You get Dream House, a psychological ghost story centered around a sloppy murder mystery that offers a keyholes worth of insight into a potentially fruitful script. Without any press promotions, interviews, or test screens, Dream House quickly became a film destined for the gutter. What came out of all the tinkering and reworking is a film with an A-list cast that continually struggle and fail in their attempts to lift their film to something above the abysmal, plodding, and completely forgettable film it is.Beginning with the willful resignation of publisher Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) so he could spend more time with his family and his novel, Dream House introduces us to our titular house and the family that now resides within (Rachel Weisz, Taylor Geare, and Claire Astin Geare). Soon afterwards the daughters begin seeing a man lurking outside, and Will encounters a group of stereotypical goth kids who lead him on to the misdeeds that have occurred within the houses walls. With help from neighbor Ann Paterson (Naomi Watts) and her daughter Chloe (Rachel G. Fox), Will begins to dig deep into the murder of the home's previous family, only to discover something far worse.What plays out throughout the rest of the film is an endurance of patience, one that has no real reward or payoff. We are treated to a loving family and what they do within their home, to the investigative search of a man who must protect those he loves. All of this builds to almost nothing of what we have come to look for in a psychological thriller. Gone are the tense feelings, unnerving thoughts, white knuckles, and inevitable head rush as the story takes us in another direction. I almost don't know who to blame for this absence of anything resembling psychological horror, but Dream House seems to keep it under the floorboards, hidden from anyone who cares to enjoy its company.Surprising me the most is Daniel Craig as Will Atenton, who six years earlier gave us an amazing portrayal of crazy and paranoid in The Jacket, easily outshining its lead actor, Adrian Brody. What we are given as a representation of insane is slicked back greasy hair, a worn army jacket, and an empty stone look. Dream House also never bothers to truly show us a real descent into madness, with everything sort of blurring slowly into one mishmash of botched storytelling. Even Naomi Watts comes off dead in her tracks, delivering lines like the pouring of molasses; slow and wasteful. Whether or not you put blame on Jim Sheridan who has delivered excellent films in the past, or the production company Morgan Creek, Dream House is a film that delivers on little it has to offer. What begins as a potentially promising ghost story ends up unraveling into a yawn inducing attempt at psychological thrills. When we aren't being dragged along for the chase as one man uncovers the truth, we are treated to sappy, nightmare inducing family moments that feel carved out of an L.L. Bean catalog. Behind all of this poor execution is a small glimpse of what could have been an enjoyable yet been-there-done-that film, a glimpse that only adds to the disappointment. Dream House never manages to get its foundation established, causing the rest of it to sag and eventually collapse on to its own emptiness.

Adam Peters (12%) An oddly well cast, yet plodding, run-of-the-mill, and not at all scary horror that boggles the mind in how its script ever got picked up then managed to attract not one but three big name Hollywood stars. As this drags its clumsy feet from scene to scene you begin to wonder whether this has a ace card up its sleeve, sadly it doesn't, in fact the only interesting plot element doesn't really make a whole lot of good sense. Daniel Craig to be fair is trying to drag something out of this turkey, but it's not enough to make this anything other than a disappointingly below average, dull offering; and to claim that the trailer ruined the ending is giving the plot more respect than it deserves.