House of Bad
A**R
Dumb and dumber.....
I am giving it three stars, since, when I look back at movies I have given two stars to, this isn’t quite that bad. It had a lot of promise, but not fulfilled. There are two sisters and a half sister, and the idea was to sell stolen heroin and go to Mexico to start a new life. Teig, the older, has been in prison twice, and cannot risk a third strike. Sirah, who works clubs and turns tricks, steals the drugs. And Lily, the half sister, is a serious heroin addict, and her make up with the hollowed eyes becomes quite good. Teig has the plan, and they head for their childhood home, where no one has been for ten years, off the grid, and a place to hide out until things cool from the theft. It automatically starts with torture, since cell phones have to be surrendered, and no going outside, and the TV doesn’t work. The movie progresses through each day. It is stated the movie was shot over eight days, which is probably much longer than the script development. On day 4 Sirah sends a text message to the dealer she stole from, as she felt sorry for his predicament. On day 6, the dealer shows up, having guessed where they were hiding. It doesn’t go well for him. The sisters suffered a great deal of abuse in the house, and saw terrible things, which is shown in flashbacks and sets them ill at ease. Considering what is at stake, and the payoff is $100K, they cannot get their acts together and they fight among themselves. They only have to hide out for 14 days, but that is asking too much.
F**Y
A competent, fairly effective noir-esque thriller with a few fairly strong elements.
The screenplay is above average, for the most part. The two older sisters have a very credible codependent relationship -- one older, tougher sister who is uncompromising and unforgiving. The younger a passive-aggressive polyanna who copes by trying to make everything OK and struggling not to piss off the older. I've had people like this in my family, and believe that the writer knows them too. Their relationship seemed very authentic.The acting is also above average. What starts off looking like a boobs 'n guns sexploitation crime caper delivered more than most of the middle-of-the-road films of this type.The plot was effective, and well-paced, and kept me interested. A lot of times, I'll put on a movie like this and sort-of half watch it while working at my desk. I was hooked in enough that I didn't get much work done.It has some genre-crossing horror elements in it, but they're mostly there to reveal the backstory behind the two sisters' toxic relationship. The special effects were simple, but enough to get the job done without looking over-the-top or cheesy.This isn't shakespeare, as another reviewer commented. It has plot holes and some awkward staging. The acting, while competent, isn't going to win any awards, but Id be happy to see any of the three sisters in other films. Though the youngest sister is mostly just a foil for the other two, it was delivered pretty well.If this had been a VHS rental back in the day, I would have felt like I got my money's worth. I expected camp, bad valley-girl acting and fake blood. What I got was a solid and mature effort to tell an interesting story.
E**E
Horror Junkie's review: 3.5 really, potential for 4 wasted
The pros: its a real movie, production values as expected, with actual acting, so definitely not in the horrorible subgenre. But it had 1 element in common with those movies. The story was thin. Very thin. It feels like these types of films are made by crafting scenes around the treatment, as opposed to an actual fully completed script. In this movie, the story is about how 1 family's trauma affects each sibling, all daughters. Good premise, good idea, but not fully developed or executed. For instance, the movie dragged up until the climax. The daughters carried a ton of potential for dramatic tension , individually and collectively, (1 was a felon, the other a stripper, and the third an addict with a high level dealer boyfriend; the latter was a half sister actually, and her existence was key to the family trauma). But it was only hinted at, with the same flashback sequence shown repeatedly. The dialogue between them did not feel genuine to me, meaning I would not imagine real people in their shoes using the language the actors had to deliver. It didn't fit and it distracted me. Anyway, not much happened, in terms of setting up any tension I could feel, .post arrival at the house and the climactic sequence. The 2 actual events that started to were dispatched posthaste. Then I was back to the same old, same old. Once the climax arrived, it was good, though the style of dialogue carried on till the bitter end. So, while it was better than much of what I've seen lately, it could've been so much better and it was so noticeable to me that I couldn't help but thinking it as I was watching. Still, worth a watch for horror junkies in these days of prohibition.
J**F
This was a really good movie.
I really liked this movie. Ok, so I fell in 'love' with the two older sisters and that might bias my opinion. The 3 actresses were great. I thought they did a really good job. I am surprised and saddened that I have not seen them in other films. Yoo whoo ! ! Casting Directors, check these ladies out the next time you are casting. Unfortunately, I did not like the ending. But then at there very end, 'ok', but I still would have preferred a different ending :-/
R**Y
Excellent film
This is an excellent film, and definitely worth watching. All three actresses were outstanding as sisters with troubled pasts. Actually, I thought this movie might have been even better simply as a family drama, minus the supernatural ghost scenes, although they certainly added an effectively creepy touch. The only unrealistic aspect of the story line was the youngest sister's heroin withdrawal, which had to be the gentlest and mildest ever! Withdrawal from opiates is no joke; it's notorious for being excruciatingly painful, with severe, flu-like symptoms. But don't let that get in the way of this finely-made film that has a lot going for it. Highly recommended.
S**S
Sadie Katz made this movie.
Too predictable. But still enjoyable. I would like to have seen Ms. Katz have more of a major role. Worth watching.
A**R
OK movie
Three women are topless only. All have beautiful real breasts
A**R
LONG movie.
Boring, drawn out!
G**B
UN BON POLAR!
polar ou plutot "thriller fantastique". En fait l'histoire de trois soeures qui arnaquent un dealer de drogue. Se refugient dans une maison maudite; Apres quelques jours elles sentretuent!Les actrices sont convainquantes!
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