Leofwine_draca OPEN HOUSE is one of those typical Hollywood horror efforts about a bunch of characters living in a house plagued by madness and murder. It's also a low key effort, greyed-out and uninteresting looking, featuring dull characters who are unknown to most viewers (the only guy I recognised played an FBI agent in BOARDWALK EMPIRE). It's a little like American HORROR STORY at times, attempting to shock and awe the viewer with various grisly events, but I found it all completely predictable and lacking in both intensity and involvement. It's the kind of film you've seen play out time and time again and there's nothing here new or the least bit fresh.

Film Watchin Fool Watch this if....you are interested in watching a sub-par "serial killer" film, which has very little explanation. If you like watching people being killed in a house with no motive then you might enjoy it.Acting/Casting: 5* - First off, don't be fooled by Moyer and Paquin on the cover because they don't see but about 15 minutes of screen time the whole film. The obvious is that they put in their small roles as a favor to Paquin's brother, Andrew, who wrote and directed the film. For the people that are actually in the film, they do an okay job. Geraghty oversold the psycho roll a bit, but wasn't terrible. Rachel Blanchard does a okay job as the captive divorcée. Tricia Helfer is an attractive specimen and does a nice job in the seductive murderer role.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 4.5* - The movie is pigeon holed a bit because it takes place primarily in a house and therefore doesn't lend itself much to work with. There is no doubt it was made on a strict budget, which makes for a lackluster product in most cases without a really creative director and Andrew Paquin isn't that due to lack of experience (directorial debut) and/or creativity.Plot/Characters: 4.5* - Two siblings terrorize a recently divorced homeowner when they sneak in during an open house. Again, this is Andrew Paquin's first screenplay and it shows. The story has some loopholes and never gives complete explanation you wait the entire movie to see.Entertainment Value: 5* - This is a marginally entertaining film, but isn't very satisfying when it is all said and done. If I recommend it to someone, then I would likely be ruining my reputation on what is a watchable movie.My Score: 5+4.5+4.5+5 = 19/4 = 4.75 Email your thoughts to [email protected]

TheHrunting A woman named Alice (Rachel Blanchard) is selling her house after a divorce and her agent is showing it off to potential buyers while she still lives in the residence. A person sneaks in and hides--hey, it's an "open house" isn't it--and awaits her to come home, not because this person wants to dodge the pesky realtor, but to meet her face to face and use her dwelling as a slaughterhouse for whoever comes in contact with it.You're introduced to David and Lila: a couple who make a sadistic partnership, as the female is spontaneous and seductive, and the male is the silent planner type. Lila arrives at the home after the bloody fact with a friend of Alice already being killed, but doesn't know David has the homeowner Alice locked away instead of slaying her too. Lila is gone during the day and David plays Mr. Nice to the traumatized Alice with some Stockholm Syndrome to smooth her over for a possible change of heart.Death after death is shown by both David and Lila with the weapon of choice being a kitchen knife and video camera rolling to catch the memory. Though this comes with no real point and has more forced scares going on than your neighbor's cheap garage setup during Halloween. This tries far too hard to make you uneasy without actually providing anything to substantially pull that off with, such as cuing the high pitched and grating music too early or late, or just the pacing having drastic ups and downs. Like "The Strangers" attempted, there's no background motivational factor to these perfectly normal looking villains except to show every now and again they have moments of anger and control problems. Not to mention there's only a quick little character backdrop on the victims but nothing that would make you care in the slightest. That might have been fine and dandy to creating fear of the unknown, but this is also missing the element to put you in their shoes if it was being any more minimalist. Could this happen to you when selling your house? From the tone of this movie, probably not, as the camera never bothers to leave the home and show someone enter at their own risk, or even get a questioning look through the blinds from a neighbor to put you on edge or their sadistic plans on ice. The safety barrier of the screen you're watching it on is never pulled away.For a film aimed towards horrific murder it's awfully polite and melodramatic by trying to play on what you wouldn't expect serial killers to act or look like as one is glamorous and model-esque and the other polite and clean cut. The tone tries to be two things at once: gruesome and personal. It shows the deteriorating relationship between David and Lila, as well as the growing one with David and Alice. You'll get the side that's warm and caring to each other, and another that delivers point blank killings to everyone else. The camera follows around David and will literally sit on him doing everyday household things as if something substantial is going on between the lines. As if you're supposed to feel bad but forget that he's a maniac underneath that wholesome '50s look because he's lonely and cooks a mean dish. The interpretations left up the viewer rely on luck than truly being open to them. The paper thin storyline all the while drops little hints, but strings you along by being so vague as to lose the audience's attention long before its conclusion. They could have told me who really shot Kennedy at the end and it wouldn't have saved this."The Stepfather" did something similar where he pretended to be somebody he wasn't and when after he was done with the people just disposed of them; the horror being that it's a cycle and he'll only do it again. "Open House" tries to dodge what you wouldn't anticipate if you watch horror films, with not only the characters but the drama-like story line that pushes away from tried and true conventions, though somehow it couldn't maintain the juggling act as basic as it was. "The Collector" was much more effective for a recent trapped in a house movie that balanced fear, mysteriousness and suspense. (Also submitted on http://fromblacktoredfilmreviews.blogspot.com/)

Anthony Pittore III (Shattered_Wake) Brian Geraghty ('The Hurt Locker') and Tricia Helfer ('Battlestar Galactica') star as a couple looking for their perfect home. Unlike the rest of us, they don't use real estate agents or the classifieds. Instead, they find the home they want and murder anyone in their path to getting it. This time around, the unlucky homeowner is Alice (Rachel Blanchard of 'Snakes on a Plane'). Things get complicated (well, more complicated than things usually are for a pair of roaming serial killers) when David (Geraghty) decides to spare the life of Alice, unbeknownst to his partner in crime & love, Lila (Helfer). As Lila spins further & further down the drain of insanity, David begins to regret his decisions and considers making a life change, hopefully with the companionship of his newfound obsession Alice. 'True Blood' stars Anna Paquin (whose brother Andrew wrote/directed) and Stephen Moyer also co-star in small roles.Marketing in the film industry is a fickle friend. It can make a film and it can destroy it. Look, for example, at a film like 'Cloverfield' from a few years ago. What may have been just a small passing at the box office turned into a worldwide phenomenon, mostly thanks to some phenomenal viral marketing that truly sparked the interest the film needed. With 'Open House,' however, it seems as if marketing is going to very much hurt the film. Why? Because they're setting the film up in a way that will only disappoint a great load of people. Those people are fans of the hit HBO series 'True Blood.' Looking at the cover art for 'Open House,' we are shown the main stars of 'True Blood' Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer right up in the foreground with their names smack dab on the top for all to see. The problem with this, however, is both actors combined probably have under ten minutes of total screen time. While I wasn't bothered much by this since I didn't see the cover art prior to the film, I can see why many fans of the show will be annoyed when the two main reasons they sought out the film are gone before they even get the chance to fully settle into their sofa.Moving past what is sure to be a disappointing part of the film, there are several elements that I quite enjoyed about this little thriller. The most alluring factor of 'Open House' and one that was truly impressive would be the performances. I was impressed by just about every actor's work throughout the film, especially that of Rachel Blanchard and Brian Geraghty, who after 'The Hurt Locker' deserves to be doing bigger & better films than this. Another strong technical aspect of this film was the cinematography. Joseph White, who made his mark with his photography on 'Repo! The Genetic Opera,' did very well simultaneously capturing the beautiful architecture of the house along with the gloom of the basement 'prison.'One more talent associated with this film is the director, Andrew Paquin. I didn't cite his role as the writer with that compliment because I believe that is where he and the film failed most. As a director, he did a very fine job, especially for his rookie outing. The script, however, is what needed work. While the dialogue and plot were satisfactory enough, the real problem came from the constant wasted chances at real suspense. Rookie directors often run into problems when they direct their own work because they sometimes can't see the problems that another director or co-writer would see during pre-production or filming. A writer may read through his own script ten times, know it word for word, but not see a small flaw that a person may catch on their first run through. That is why another creative mind working on the script is almost always useful, especially in small productions like this.Overall, 'Open House' is not going to go on as one of the great thrillers of our time. It will, like many straight-to-video films before it, most likely be forgotten by this time next year. However, for a one-night stand with an entertaining rental, you can do a lot worse than Andrew Paquin's first attempt. I'd like to see more in his future.Final Verdict: 6/10.-AP3-