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Dreams in the Witch House – Masters of Horror – Rating 3 out of 5

Based on an H.P. Lovecraft tale of a stressed out student in less than charming living accommodations who begins to hear sounds behind the walls and see strange figures. A rat with a human face gives him a warning about the strange events but he’s more concerned with getting in the pants of the single mom who lives in the same building. The movie is pretty predictable and the ending isn’t very satisfying, but there are some good jumps along the way and the old house certainly has its place for setting the mood.

Walter is a grad student who needs a quiet place to study. He takes a room at a run down house. He begins to hear strange noises and see visions. In a rather absurd assumption he thinks there is a gateway to another dimension in his room. Or maybe it was the rat with the human face there was a hidden dimension there. As a side note whoever is in charge of special effects for MOH needs to be stopped. They are the worse props and CGI work I have ever seen. They look tragically fake and childish. To put it simply, if it’s not blood flying around the room these guys have no idea how to make an effect and it’s really destroying their stories.

Anyway, Walter things there is an evil presence in the house and that it’s going after his neighbor’s baby. He sees visions of figures trying to sacrifice the baby. He is even seduced by a figure that looks like the baby’s mother (Chelah Horsdal).

The nightmares become worse and Walter finds out the crazy old man downstairs has some insight into the whole affair and why he has that pentagram scratched into his back.

Walter finally has had enough and breaks into the wall in the corner of the room and discovers a mass grave and apparently unleashes all hell.

Slow, simple and not much of a plot this movie really doesn’t go anywhere. Walter sees and hears things he can’t explain. The ending doesn’t sum things up and we are left hanging. Stuart Gordon directed the Black Cat which I really like, but this is nowhere near as good or tight. Too many loose ends and plot holes keep this from being too much of a keeper.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Reincarnation – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
• White Noise – Rating 2.5 out of 5
• Saw III
• Thr3e – Rating 3 out of 5
• The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
• The Number 23 – Rating 2.3 out of 5
• Paranormal Incident
• Imprint – Masters of Horror – Rating 2 out of 5
• The Gravedancers – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
• Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For

Sounds Like – Masters of Horror – Rating 3 out of 5

Predictable but still somewhat interesting, Sounds Like has an interesting premise but doesn’t really deliver a whole lot. It’s an interesting view of the world from the point of view of someone who can hear almost everything. Rain drops are a pounding menace, knives on a plate are deafening and the ticking of a clock can drive you mad. The sounds of Larry’s world are driving him mad and he’s starting to take steps to stop them.

This movie will make you think more than it will scare you. The amplified sounds of everything around you will be interesting and perhaps a little hair-raising when you realize what they are. But overall this movie is more like Office Space gone mad. Larry works at a tech support call center and it’s almost hard not to laugh at how close they have nailed the scenes. Larry is a jackass of a manager concerned with the tone of the voice and how long the call lasts. People hate him because of how he treats everyone and how he seems to hear everything.

Larry hates everyone because of the noises they make and because he’s lost his son. We see through the flashback scenes that Larry loved his son and their relationship was a solid one.

But without any particular reason (or is he just sinking after his wife says she wants another baby and then claims she’s pregnant) his hearing becomes more acute and he begins to hear everything – rain drops, knives on plates, knitting needles rubbing back and forth, the buzz of a light bulb, his wife’s eyes moving as she sleeps.

He begins to lose his grip and all he wants is a little piece and quiet. If it makes noise he needs to stop it. So he goes on an all out rampage to make the noises stop. Pretty much everything in his house gets destroy including his wife. He goes even further to make it so he can’t hear the noises.

Despite the lack of depth to any of the characters, very little suspense, and simple plot which really doesn’t go anywhere Chris Bauer does a great job with the role. His facial expression, the tone of his voice, his manners are all well executed. But overall this is a decent but far from great installment in this series.

Other Articles of Interest:

• The Number 23 – Rating 2.3 out of 5
• White Noise – Rating 2.5 out of 5
• The Abandoned – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
• Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
• Saw
• Unrest – After Dark Horror Fest – 8 Films To Die For
• The Others – Revisited
• Imprint – Masters of Horror – Rating 2 out of 5
• Dreams in the Witch House – Masters of Horror – Rating 3 out of 5
• Thr3e – Rating 3 out of 5

Absurd and ridiculous pretty much sums this one up. In essence we have the story of George Washington as a cannibal and a secret society that will do anything to keep that secret.

The movie starts of fine with a timid little girl in an old house which she feels is creepy. Shadows around every corner, creepy pictures and sheets covering items in the basement give plenty of reasons for her to jump. And during one of her jumps a painting gets knocked down and a note gets revealed which very briefly sums up that Washington was a cannibal. Why you would write something like that I have no idea, but there it is.

The townspeople find out about the note and their legend seems to be close to being exposed. How 3 sentences on a sheet of paper would actually be enough to cause this sort of exposure is beyond me, but they feel it to be a real threat.

The townspeople proceed to dress in period costumes complete with white faces and crazy wigs and threaten to kill the family if they don’t get the note. What ensues is a poorly acted, completely absurd plot of actions that just don’t have any basis in reality. And what they lack in plot they make up for in dinner scenes designed to depict eating human flesh with blood dripping down their faces complete with blood soaked clothes and napkins. It’s gross to be sure, but it’s so over the top it becomes comical. Watching people suck on intestines does have a gross out factor but when they start to suck it up like spaghetti it looses its scare factor.

There is little to like about this story. It has great sets and the costumes look authentic, but the movie is just too silly to cause a good scare. It would have been better to try make this a dark comedy or spoof.

Technorati : halloween movie, master of horror

Other Articles of Interest:

• Saw III
• Imprint – Masters of Horror – Rating 2 out of 5
• The Ring – Rating 3 out of 5
• Dreams in the Witch House – Masters of Horror – Rating 3 out of 5
• The Grudge 2 – Rating 1 out of 5
• Dead Silence – Rating 3 out of 5
• Secret Window – Rating 3 out of 5
• An American Haunting – Rating 2 out of 5
• The Dead Matter
• Exorcist – Dominion/Exorcist – The Beginning