By Geno McGahee
One of the most memorable horror movies from the 1980s was SLEEPAWAY CAMP. The ending with the manhood of the female lead being exposed left the impression that has rocked many, but that film was interesting up to that point. The stars of SLEEPAWAY CAMP, Jonathan Tiersten and Felissa Rose are forever linked and are enjoying a return to the genre in a big way. THE PERFECT HOUSE brings them back in a horror anthology, but, in the end, it did not take full advantage of what they had.
A young couple finds their dream home, but the house has a terrible history, which breaks up this anthology into three tales. The first surrounded a family huddling in the basement during a storm. An overbearing and critical mother lashes out at her daughter and husband, while the father coddles the daughter. The son is rather amused by the situation, but has some hidden anger that will be exposed. This first tale was interesting due in large part to the acting. The actors and actresses were very good in this and made it work.
The second tale deals with serial killer, John Doesy (Tiersten). He has caged up one woman that he keeps alive to watch his “artwork.” He tortures and kills his victims and believes he is doing the world a service. This tale was pretty generic and it was another case of what the actors and actresses were doing to make it work. Watching Tiersten in this, I am excited to see him in another film where he is given something better to work with. The tale is just too stale and generic and there is no wow moment to it. It’s very simple and that trend continues as we head into the third tale.
Usually an anthology is supposed to give you distinct tales, but the third tale featuring a neighbor that has had enough was just another torture tale like the Doesy tale. A neighbor kidnaps a family and tortures them for doing things that he does not approve of. It’s easy to relate to. I often have thoughts of the sort when I hear my neighbor blowing off fireworks at 2 AM. So, points for that I guess. The best part of this tale is seeing Felissa Rose act again. She does a good job as the terrified mother, but you can only do what you can do if the script is this mediocre.
THE PERFECT HOUSE is a must see for those that are fans of SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Otherwise, it is extremely forgettable. I was really disappointed. Tiersten and Rose are great for horror being a link to the past but young enough to be relevant and have many years left in this game. Despite their best efforts and the best efforts of the rest of the very capable cast, the movie, like any movie, will live or die by the screenplay and we have a very mediocre one here that offers nothing new or interesting. It’s just a torture film.
Scared Stiff Rating: 5/10 – I really wanted to like this one.
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| The Perfect House (Official DVD trailer) |
The DVD release of The Perfect House (SRP $14.95) will exclusively include over two hours of bonus features: behind the scenes featurettes, cast interviews, footage from the national theatrical tour, special effects featurettes, Q&A footage and an alternate ending.