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House on the Hill
USA 2014
produced by Jeff Frentzen, Shannon Leade for North 40 Productions, Options Entertainment
directed by Jeff Frentzen
starring Naidra Dawn Thomson, Shannon Leade, Stephen A.F. Day, Sam Leung, Kevin McCloskey, Laura Hofrichter, Brenna Catherine Briski, Crystal Nelson, Tya Adams, Olivia Parrish, Rachael Devlin, Elissa Dowling, Erin Young, Bud Watson, Jordan Bunniie, Nola Roeper
written by Jeff Frentzen, Nicole Marie Polec, story consultant: Ulli Lommel, music by Jonah Kraut, Robert J. Walsh, special effects by Margaux Frankel
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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Leonard Lake (Stephen A.F. Day) is not the most attractive or charming
man - and he knows it. But still he thinks himself entitled to all the
women he wants, and thus together with his accomplice Charles Ng (Sam
Leung), he just kidnaps them, and kills everybody who gets in his way,
including children and babies even, and including his brother when he gets
the hots for his niece. Usually the duo doesn't hold the women just as sex
slaves, but also has them work for them - but once the men get tired of
the girls or the girls upset them, they are killed and buried. Sonia
(Naidra Dawn Thomson) is stronger than the others, learns to endure what's
thrown at her, even if that means rape and torture, and even becomes
something of an accomplice of Leonard and Charles, videotaping their
exploits. She does this against her will, but as a means to survive. That
doesn't mean Leonard and Charles don't discuss her demise every now and
again, even before her very ears - but somehow they never go through with
it. Sonia gets new hope with Karianna (Shannon Leade), another girl who
has the will to survive, and she takes strength from praying. But
Sonia's dreams seem to be shattered when Charles kills Karianna in a freak
sex accident ... House on the Hill, based on the real
killing spree of Lake and Ng in the 1980s and featuring some authentic
video material of Lake explaining his "philosophy), is certainly not
for the faint-hearted - not gbecause it's terribly explicit (it isn't, but
has its moments still) but because it's really good in bringing across its
premise, including the despair of the victims, the ruthlessness of the
perpetrators, and last but not least the utterly depressing situation
Sonia finds herself in. This is all thanks to a fittingly nihilistic
script, a directorial effort that doesn't focus purely on sensationalism,
and rather moving performances that really drag one into the story.
Totally worth a look, but be warned, a rather depressing experience all
the same.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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