The Dead Room (2015) – movie review

The Dead Room (2015)

directed by Jason Stutter

 

starring:
Jed Brophy
Jeffrey Thomas
Laura Petersen

 

This film is a real slow burn, but if you stick with it, it builds to a big payoff. Firm characterization has each actor playing a convincing role. The beginning reminds one of The Shining, where wide angle views treat the viewer to the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. We wind down to a small claustrophobic domicile reminiscent of the cabin in Evil Dead. Three paranormal investigators are sent to the home which previous owners had fled. Their assignment is to prove to the insurance company either way, that it’s haunted and they should tear it down, or its not haunted and they should peruse the previous owners for repayment. The team goes through the usual set up. Liam, the tech guru sets up cameras and scanners. Scott, the boss sets up a control center and mans his Mel meter, and Holly, is the sensitive and does psychic readings of the home. When they first arrive, she feels nothing in the home. Likewise, there are no readings on any equipment or movements breaking the motion sensors. They do an EVP session and get nothing. There is a definite reason for that which you will soon learn.

 

If you can take a ghost hunting session seriously and accept that ghost evidence would be at best subtle, then you will be able to enjoy this film. The first few nights we get nothing more than a swinging chandelier and an opening door. However, stay with the film and you will get more each night as the actions escalate and the entity eventually makes a clear attempt at taking a life. The ending has a big payoff and plot twist, worth the wait for any haunted house horror fan. Shades of The Legend of Hell House, and The Haunting are evident but not detracting from the film. The director gets the mood and atmosphere pinned down perfectly with the gloomy long hallway being the focus of the film. Nobody is going to be blown away by this film, but in the end, it’s entertaining. 

 

Despite the slow start, If you like ghost stories and haunted house movies you will likely enjoy this film. 
I give it 3.5 ghastly ghoulies on the haunted harbinger of horror scale.

 

If you like; Legend of Hell House, The Awakening, The Haunting, The Innocents…

 

Bloopers: Look for the ending that was obviously filmed at a different time from the rest of the film as Petersen’s hair suddenly becomes 3 inches shorter.

 

Parlor of Horror, Horror movie reviews!

 

Last Shift (2015) – movie review

Last Shift (2015)

written and directed by Anthony DiBlasi

starring:
Juliana Harkavy
Joshua Mikel
J. LaRose

 

This starts as a slow burning creeper. It takes a good half hour to catch fire but it does and it is worth the wait. A young rookie cop, Jessica, is assigned to guard an old police station on its final night of operation. The station has a new location on the other side of town. She has to remain at the old one until a hazmat unit picks up some evidence to discard. She is supposed to be alone. Clearly she is not.

The place is haunted by one terrible event. It’s haunted by the perpetrators of a violent evil deed. It’s haunted by the victims of that same deed and the young rookie cop’s personal connection to this event is cause for disturbance. She is tormented by the dead by vile means and is driven to the edge of sanity by crazy visions, psychological attacks and disturbing mind games. She is also tormented by the living connected to the event.

Juliana Harkavy plays a convincing part as the rookie cop struggling to keep her father’s honor and not abandoning her post, while being assaulted by the cult-ish freaks that haunt the halls of the station. The ending leaves a little to be desired but the journey was worth a watch. Currently available on Netflix streaming.

This is a fun horror flick combining both psychological and visceral terror with a super creepy climax.

I give it 3.9 horrifying haunted hails out of 5 on the crazy cult concubine from hell scale.

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parlor of horror – movie review

Deadfall Hotel – Book Review

Deadfall Hotel – Steve Rasnic Tem
Solaris books

After tragedy strikes taking his wife, Richard Carter and his daughter, Serena attempt to rebuild their lives. Richard, answering an ad in the help wanted section, is called upon by Jacob Ascher, proprietor of the Deadfall Hotel to fill the job of caretaker. Under the guidance and training of Jacob, Richard learns the eccentricities and aberrations of the long forgotten hotel.

They discover the Deadfall to be a strange place where the horrors of the world go to vacation, retire and perhaps even to die. Richard and his daughter are faced with avoiding and sometimes combating serial killers, evil felines, angry spirits and other nasty entities that reside in the dark corridors of Deadfall Hotel. However, for Richard to truly learn anything he will have to revisit the darkest days of his own life, face the sinister Poolman and escape the blackened waters of the phantom pool that reach deeper than the foundations of the Hotel, itself.

The tale is unveiled as a series of events recorded by Jacob to detail the progress of training a new caretaker. It is easy to warm to the characters as Richard tries to protect his daughter and questions himself about bringing her to such a dismal place to live. Tem shows you the big picture by telling smaller stories which makes the journey interesting and less common than the usual novel. Dangers and conflicts ooze out of the cracks and corners, sometimes catching the reader by surprise and growing into frightening challenges.

For someone who is not a huge fan of modern novels, Tem’s writing is quirky enough to hold my attention. I enjoyed the story and had that melancholy feeling at it’s end; the feeling you get when you have grown fond of the characters and know you’re going to miss them.

Recommended if you like: The Shining, The Amityville Horror

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