From a House on Willow Street (2017)

Sadly Over-hyped

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Brilliant and touching

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This was an interesting idea undone by too many subplots.

Saw this recently on a DVD. Got enticed by the trailer n had seen the director's film, Indigenous which was decent. A short review should b something like this, full of clichés, absurd dialogues, not scary, moments of tension n suspense r almost zero, no good kills n repetitive scenes of apparitions n demonic levitation eventually reducing the scare factors. The demon is shown very powerful but u have to see the ending... a total letdown. On a good note, the effects r good. The designs of the demons were pretty interesting. Use of both lighting and color give this film a macabre tone, which works in its favor. Sharni Vinson looks extremely tired and skinny. Her eye bags were very visible in some scenes. Ther have been decent movies in the past where the movie changes genre; Psycho, Malevolence, Dead birds, From dusk till dawn, Livid, Frontiers, etc. Also where the criminals/intruders meet more powerful match; Don't breathe, Intruders, Siren, Gallows hill, Whisper, etc.

The "criminals who become victims" concept has always been popular in horror cinema (Don't Breathe is a recent example I liked), and that might be because it adds an unexpected moral ambiguity which questions our perception regarding "good" and "evil" ones. And, on a more visceral sense, it creates an "instantaneous karma" sensation in which the criminals receive their punishment... even though we would like to see them escape sometimes). From a House on Willow Street follows that formula, but its main problem is that co-screenwriter Alaistar Orr (who is also the director), Jonathan Jordaan (sic) and Catherine Blackman reveal the kidnapped girl's secret too quickly, decreasing the tension and taking us through a prefabricated route which doesn't adequately exploit the "surprise factor". Besides, it's too obvious who the default "hero" (heroine, in this case) will be from the beginning; fortunately, that character is played by Sharni Vinson, whose work in horror cinema during the last 5 years (Bait, You're Next and Patrick: Evil Awakens) has made her become a versatile "scream queen" with an adequate emotional deepness. Vinson's scenic presence and credible reactions keep us moderately entertained despite the questionable narrative decisions and weak coincidences in which her character is involved. I will probably end up forgetting From a House on Willow Street as soon as I finish writing this review, but it didn't bore me, and I can give it a slight recommendation, mainly due to the gore and the presence of an actress whose affinity for the horror genre can rescue mediocre movies, such as... this one. We are still on time to redeem the "scream queen" term, and Vinson is one of the actresses capable of achieving it (other good alternatives: Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Anya Taylor-Joy).

First off, who are the jokers saying this movie is bad. It's not. It's great.Let me also add I am a man and an adult, and I was left so scared by this movie, I had to put the light on. Seriously. The shocks come thick and fast.So okay what is the movie about? It's about a team of drop-outs who decide to kidnap a teenage girl of a wealthy family and then send out a ransom.This is where the movie gets really scary. The girl they kidnapped is not a normal girl. She has deep secrets, and she looks terrible. With bloodshot eyes and a face with scratches. If you can manage to watch it to the end without having to shout 'help' then fine. You're better than me.Great movie. Lots of scares, chills and a great creepy atmosphere. Brilliant acting too.Recommended! 10/10.