There has been a glut of horror films released over the past
decade. It seems like everyone has realized that the lowest budgeted film that
can be made is a horror film and that it makes for an easy entry into the world
of film making. Coupled with a legion of horror fans who have adored so many
films they want to emulate and you find an overabundance of horror movies
coming out, most of them bad. So it's nice to see one every once in a while
that might not have a big name starring in it and might use bits and pieces of
other movies but that entertains at the same time. Movies like HOUSE OF DUST.
The movie focuses on a group of college students beginning a
their year. New to the group is Emma, a young girl with some serious issues
relating to her mental stability. Shy and withdrawn, Emma is egged on by her
roommate Gabby to join in at the party some students are having that first
night there. Gabby's boyfriend Dylan is on hand as well as his roommate, Kolt.
Emma has caught Kolt's eye and he attempts to win her trust that night.
The group heads back to the dorm from the party and while
walking across campus they go past a building covered in ivy and sealed to all
students. The abandoned building was once and asylum that housed numerous
patients including one notorious serial killer. While these students don't know
it, in the opening sequence of the film we witnessed him killing some of the
staff as well as his incineration in the oven in the basement. Seeing a
building like this how can you expect kids not to try and break in? They do so,
eventually finding the oven and accidentally knocking over a container of
ashes. Guess whose ashes they were? Suddenly things begin to happen the kids.
Emma begins seeing things and worries that it is her mental
problems come back to plague her. Students start to turn up murdered or
missing. Kolt begins to change his behavior, becoming more anti-social and
violent. With each passing day the hold that the spirit of the serial killer
begins to take hold. Whether the kids in the film will survive or not is a toss
up until the end. What's really nice here is that rather than do what's become
far too typical in most horror films, leaving it open ended for a possible
sequel, this one actually does offer a closing.
The scares here are not too intense and the acting is
surprisingly well done by all involved. That is not to say that it's surprising
because they don't possess any talent but surprising because it's rare to find
someone with actual acting ability in most low budget horror films these days. While
perhaps not Oscar worthy, each and every member does a believable job here.
While the die hard horror fans out there will probably not
find this movie gory enough or will feel that it's been done before, it still
offers a fairly fresh take on the subject matter while at the same time not
portraying the kids involved as total idiots. I don't recall any scenes that
had that "look a trail of blood, let's separate and find out where the killer
is" moments. Instead we get a decent story, a few chills and enough horror
for the non-fan to enjoy the movie.
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