robertemerald Review of House on Willow Street

House on Willow Street (2016)

Ignore the critics. Original, twisted and exciting new horror concept

[9/10 · 2 March 2020]

Sometimes I find it hard to fathom why certain movies get such a hard time from reviewers. I'll go through some of the criticisms. House On Willow Street is accused of using cheap jump scares. Actually that's probably true, only the scares aren't that cheap, in that ghosts pop up here and there. But the movie doesn't in any way rely on these scares for its overall arc of tension and fraught desperation. They are just incidental manifestations of a demon growing stronger, and the fact is that the band of criminals soon suspect this unreality and generally hold their nerve. Willow Street is also accused of using horror cliches. Not true. If you read such reviews you'll notice that most don't indicate what cliches they are referring to. One that did name a cliche had issue with the creaking neck of the demon. OK, we've seen creaking necks before. No one seems to mind this cliche in reference to dozens of zombie movies. Generally situations move so fast and are so engaging that maybe a cliche or two is used, such as talisman cuts appearing on people's bodies as they are possessed, but the action is so fast and frantic, and there are so many clever details, that all I experienced was profound entertainment. Another criticism is that the demon exhibits huge powers but is unable to free itself from shackles. True, but levitation and reversing bullets is not quite the same as smashing an iron collar, and besides, the further into the story the further the demon has to dissipate power to control subjects already possesses. And it is also quite clear a battle is raging within the demon against the original possession, whom, of course, can't be killed outright as the demon needs the body it inhabits. Questions about the acting standard and the script are ridiculous. Both are excellent. This isn't a teen movie, perhaps that's the sort of formula people are missing in that regard. The special effects were really cool in this movie. I found this movie to be wonderful entertainment, with rich texture and lighting, a superbly original concept, a wonderful desperate tension that drove everything before it throughout, great editing and some brilliantly chosen camera shots. The soundscape was well targeted. I have no problem giving this terrific horror gem a 9.