House of Darkness is a dull film that is long dead by the time anything actually happens. Great cast, but even they can’t save it.
House of Darkness is one of those movies that feels like something incredible is coming, but then it never does. By the time there is finally some action, and the promises are delivered on, the film is long dead. The final ten minutes is when the set up finally gives viewers what they were waiting for, however it is too long, too ridiculous looking, and not worth the over an hour long road that it took to get there.
The endgame is almost instantly clear when this movie starts. Justin Long has given a beautiful woman (KateBosworth) a ride home after they met at a bar. She invites him in, but is very quirky and strange. She is constantly calling him out on lies, telling him to be honest, but at the same time is obviously toying with him — both physically and emotionally.
Her comments seem to indicate that the home has been in her family for a long time. Of course the electricity is constantly going out, making for a very creepy setting, and she drops hints that she has been alive for centuries that he never picks up on. Even the movie poster nods to what is really going on here, but as viewers wait for confirmation that she is indeed a vampire, the story falters.
This movie has a small cast and takes place in just a handful of rooms, giving it an intimate feel. Long, who regularly plays likeable characters, is easy to hate from the start. It is clear he doesn’t have the best of intentions, and is just looking for a night that he can brag to his friends about. The more he drinks, the more this personality comes out, until he is spewing awful words by the end.
Bosworth and Long do what they can with the script and direction, but the dialogue is lackluster and almost comical at times. They have zero on screen chemistry and it is wonder that his character stuck around so long — suppose that is a testament as to the type of person he truly is.
Nothing ever really happens and even though the runtime is under ninety minutes, it feels much longer than that. It is shame because this would have worked well as a short film, or with less time spent in the set up.
House of Darkness intends to set up a sinister and suspenseful thriller. A mystery that has the audience guessing and wondering if things are as they seem. Instead it just comes off as a “hurry up and get to the point” plot, which is never good.
When the why of it all is ultimately revealed, it is clear there was an interesting message about the way some men treat women, and how those women then enact their revenge. But it is buried deep and far too rushed to come across as intended.
The fact that it is very clear where things are going makes the wait to get there almost unbearable. By the time things are revealed it is far too little, too late. The effects are clearly practical, and as with most Indie films there was likely not a decent budget, which unfortunately puts a damper on the finale.
Rating: 1 out of 5
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About House of Darkness
Justin Long and Kate Bosworth star in this seductive thriller from director Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man). Driving home to her secluded estate after meeting at a local bar, a player out to score thinks his beautiful, mysterious date will be another casual hook-up. While getting acquainted, their flirtation turns playful, sexy and sinister. Hoping to get lucky, his luck may have just run out.
House of Darkness hits select theaters September 9th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.