House of Bones (2010)

Review by Mari Lynne Rupp



This movie is SO not what you think. My husband and I tucked into this on one of those rare evenings that you're eating the shit out of chinese takeout, the kid's with his cousins and your in-laws, and you think "We could be going out to watch 'Scream 4', why are we sitting in on this schlock??"
The answer is, because it turned out awesome.
The premise of the movie is TV Ghost Hunters research and investigate a supposedly haunted house along with a 'real' psychic, nicely played by Charisma Carpenter. (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Not only is the house truly haunted, but tends to possess and overtake the owners in order to keep feeding its evil presense with souls. It sounds cornier than it actually is, but it gets good, I promise.
Written by Anthony C. Ferrante, and Jay Frasco, directed by Jeffrey Scott Lando who also directed the brilliant "Dear Mr Gacy" this also co-stars Corin Nemec, Marcus Lyle Brown and Ricky Wayne, this starts out wierd and crazy, giving us scares and jumps very subtly, and slyly. The audience thinks they know what's going on, and ends up wrong each time. The movie starts corny but ends wrapped up in a flesh-coloured package finished with a bloody bow. Someone finally gave the haunted house/tortured spirit genre a fresh twist and us haunted house fans something new to appreciate, that goes very well with beer and chinese takeout.
8/10