I'm trying to be generous anywhere I can; maybe the setting and atmosphere is pretty good -- but the rest of this film is just atrocious in every way. Lazy execution, cliches galore, dumb characters - you've been warned.
So much didn't make sense. So much had no explanation, revelation or twist. Don't expect a backstory, a motive, a hierarchy of bad guys, intelligent actions, a payoff. None of it exists -- not even a script.
So girl escapes the trunk (why was she left in there in the first place and not checked on?) she should just run off and call for help right? WRONG! She enters the house that has more rooms and doorways than a hotel and seemingly is catlike as she tiptoes around without drawing suspicion until she finally does after stealing a set of keys and hanging around bad guy for too long. Ultimately she has a rather intense showdown with Bad Guy (I found it ironic they named him Jack and there was a scene with a homage to The Shining). The little girl shows some grit and ultimately stabs the bad dude, but we soon see how she's not much smarter than her female counterparts in all other horror/thriller flicks as she approaches "dead" person, does not remove weapons from area, finds cell phone - gives up using it without activating emergency feature. Let's credit the little girl though, she can drag dead weight (literally the bad guy and the little boy were both dead weight in their own ways) clean up a murder scene, tiptoe around, hide, carry around and use rotary phone.
Anyhow, when the woman eventually enters the mix I was hoping for SOME surprise, some new twist. NOPE! She's just as vile and persistent as the guy - she just uses larger weapons. At this point we're treated to more redundant scenes of hide and seek, opening and closing more doors, probably another set or two of keys. It's suspenseful, yet boring.
The 3rd act as I'll refer to it is the most infuriating. Let's say it starts as a cop shows up to the house of horrors after the girl successfully pulls off a 9-1-1 hangup. Wait, did the girl really have to turn the phone over to find the number for 911 or did I miss something? Anyhow, cop shows up and his Spidey senses tingle. He draws gun and gently walks around house. As he climbs staircase, little girl comes out and he notices her. In slow mo, bad woman emerges from top of staircase. In perfect fashion, little girl does nothing to warn cop. Bad woman takes a lengthy swing at the dud cop with an axe and down he goes. Bad woman takes cops gun and gives chase after the little girl. Woman wastes 5 rounds shooting at seemingly nothing. The last round goes astray after a closer encounter.
The next logical ending of the movie could have happened next, but don't worry - our hero wants NO shortcuts. Little girl hides in the house again after avoiding gunfire. Bad woman searches, and climbs up staircase (but first she has to drag poor cop down the steps). At top of staircase, girl pops out and smashes pot that was holding room keys over woman's head. Woman falls down steps and appears unconscious if not dead. DOES OUR LITTLE HERO APPROACH THE BADDIE TO FINISH THE JOB?? Of course not!! Why do that when she has the rescue the useless boy first?
Useless boy is chained up in room, so after a few moments of pulling and grunting, the girl gets an idea. Why not use the handy chainsaw that just a few moments earlier was responsible for turning last week's capture into (beef stew?) So, our hero goes to town on the chain with the chainsaw and after a few tries the boy is freed! YAY! Not so fast.....
Time to run down the hallway with the chainsaw ripping away at anyone or anything in the path, right? WRONG! Chainsaw gets left behind of course, and the kids book it empty handed.
The rest of the way is simply God awful. It's like the kids develop an affinity for these folks and don't actually want to escape. A chance ahead to bail into the forest... Nah, let's stop for our shoes. I'll pick up this crowbar, seems like a great weapon. Hey, bad woman is crouching down under a car, I could whack her with this crowbar, or I can hop on this bike and ride it 10 feet down the road. Hmmmm, I think I'll try the latter. Ah shoot, bike is broken, I'll fix the chain. Ahhhhh! There is so much more, but I have to stop. It's simply melting my brain.
No payoff. A garbage ending. I'd rather the kids have some sort of gnarly vengeance, a chance to save another live child somewhere in the home, ANYTHING. There is none of that. There was no toy to be won at the claw machine. There was nothing tangible or impressive about this movie. Total letdown of what could have been a much better premise. Ugh.
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