TheRedDeath30 I put off seeing this movie for the longest time because I've seen far too many mixed reviews. It sat at the bottom of my queue forever until I finally gave it a chance. Naturally, what drew me in was a cast full of some of my favorite horror heroines of yesteryear, figuring if nothing else it would be a fun jaunt down memory lane. Ultimately, while there were things to enjoy in this movie, I should have listened to the reviews.The movie is an odd mix of influences, drawing heavily from the Italian horror masters for its' visual aesthetic and combining that with a plot and style that reminded me greatly of the "hag horror" films of the 60s (suck as WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE). While, at times, the movie feels too derivative to have a big impact on the viewer what ultimately kills it is the acting, which is just horrible all around. It almost pains me to say that due to the love that I have for a lot of these actresses, but to call the acting wooden would be an insult to wood.The plot revolves around a mysterious young girl that the viewer never truly gets to know enough about to give the plot the emphasis that it needed. She is, essentially, an attention whore. The daughter of an actual prostitute, the movie definitely plays with the idea that she is selling herself to a stream of women, as well, though she is being paid for time and attention more than sex. She is preying on the lonely to get the money she needs to live life. This brings her to Barbara Steele, one of the icons of 60s horror. Steele's character is drawn to this girl and develops a strong obsession with her, trying to use her to replace the real daughter that we come to know more about as the movie unfolds. The story does do a good job of developing a duality where we wonder who is the predator and which is the prey. The movie bounces erratically, from present day to flashback, revealing the story of this mysterious girl, her ultimate fate and what that has to do with a new young girl that has come into Steele's life.The most positive thing going for this is the look of the movie. It's obviously highly influenced by the work of Bava and Argento. What the blue tones in the movie. The only thing that could draw me back into this would be to dive into an exploration of the saturation of blues in everything from the backgrounds to costumes as the director is definitely using them to say something or create a feel (sort of like the red in THE SIXTH SENSE, I think). Too much else in this movie fails to work effectively, though. As mentioned, the plot just bounces everywhere. We have a present day story, we bounce continually to the story of Steele and her relationship with the mysterious little Anne and we, also, flash back even further to scenes that we think have to do with Anne, but ultimately end up being even further in the past, giving some explanation to how Steele ended up as she did.It's the acting that just slaughters this movie, though. Steele is steely (sorry, couldn't resist). There is no inflection in her tones and she is far too old to carry off the more physical aspects demanded of this role with any plausibility. Heather Langenkamp is one of the sweetest people I've ever met at a convention and a childhood crush, but she's almost as bad here. Let's face it, folks, she wasn't that great as Nancy in NOES and she lacks nuance here, also. The worst actor in the bunch, though, is Erika Leerhsen, who I remember from BLAIR WITCH 2. I've honestly seen better acting in high school plays. The rest of the actresses, like Adrienne King, PJ Soles, and Camille Keaton are really nothing more than cameos.It's a shame to gather all of these names and waste them, but that's really what this is. Maybe the film makers knew they needed more than what they had and figured some stunt casting couldn't hurt. In any case, there are hundreds of better indie horror films that you could be watching right now.

greilly2 I was walking by a small cinema in NY and stumbled upon the Butterfly Room and am glad I did.Barbara Steele steals the show as the lead actress; excellent cast overall (with extensive horror film history). The movie leaves the audience in suspense with every creepy twist and turn. The Butterfly Room movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as the plot slowly unravels.Top notch cinematography. Warning: This movie may cause nightmares!Grab your friends and some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride in this one of a kind thriller! Highly suggested!

Claudio Carvalho The entomologist Ann (Barbara Steele) is an old lonely woman with bipolar disorder and rejected by her daughter Dorothy (Heather Langenkamp) due to a serious incident when Dorothy was a child. When Ann meets the manipulative girl Alice (Julia Putnam) in a mall, she becomes Ann's companion, receiving an allowance in return. Soon Ann finds that Alice manipulates other old women and she visits her crippled mother Olga (Camille Keaton) and she discovers that she is a prostitute that uses Alice to make money for her. Ann reacts in a violent way against Alice's mother and triggers her madness.In the present days, Ann meets the girl Julie (Ellery Sprayberry) in her building alone in the corridor. Her mother and Ann's neighbor Claudia (Erica Leerhsen) neglects her daughter and Ann takes care of Julie. Ann brings Julie to her apartment and she does not allow her to enter in her butterfly room, where she keeps more sensitive specimens; however Julie tells to her mother that there is a girl inside the room. What is the secret of the butterfly room? "The Butterfly Room" is a creepy non-linear movie with a deranged lead character performed by Barbara Steele. The timeline with many flashbacks seems to be confused to many viewers that apparently did not understand the plot and the movie is underrated in IMDb. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Segredo da Borboleta" ("The Secret of the Butterfly")

Coventry As soon as it got listed in the official program of the 30th annual Belgian Festival of Fantastic Films, I've been eagerly anticipating to see "The Butterfly Room". For obvious reasons, I presume, namely the return of horror diva Barbara Steele – the legendary beautiful and hypnotizing lead actress of such Gothic horror milestones as "Black Sunday", "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "Castle of Blood". The casting of Steele is the undeniable highlight, of course, but writer/director Jonathan Zarantonello's whole incentive of making a thriller solely revolving on female protagonists is enormously respectable and, in fact, quite innovative as the horror genre still somewhat remains a masculine world where women are often degraded to inferior roles. Apart from Barbara Steele, Zarantonello managed to gather the dignified horror ladies Erica Leerhsen ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), Camille Keaton ("I Spit on your Grave"), Adrienne King ("Friday the 13th), PJ Soles ("Halloween") and Heather Langenkamp ("Nightmare on Elm Street"). To defend the honor of the male sex, there's also Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks"). I easily daresay this is the most remarkable and jaw-dropping ensemble horror cast since many years! The plot itself also contains great thriller potential and a worthy amount of isolated moments of greatness, but sadly I have to admit that the wholesome is too often tedious and never appears to find a stable pacing. Steele is splendid as the aging but nevertheless still very stylish and fashionable Ann, a lonely woman who reverts to her hobby of collecting butterflies and exhibiting them in a sober room where only she's allowed to enter. Ann is always eager to babysit her neighbor's young daughter and she also takes obsessive custody of a girl she met at the shopping mall, because her motherly instincts remain unanswered. But Ann's caring personality also has a grim dark side that gradually comes to the surface. "The Butterfly Room" is 100% American produced, but the atmosphere feels totally European, more particularly reminiscent of those typically lurid Italian gialli and psychedelic dramas. The roots of director Zarantonello and the decades of Barbara Steele's horror experience are clearly detectable. Despite the brooding atmosphere throughout, the vast majority of the film is regrettably tame, but luckily this gets compensated with a neatly unsettling and grisly denouement. Beautiful imagery and tasteful photography complete this worthwhile effort that particularly comes recommended to admirers of strong feminine horror ladies and nostalgia.