The Beach House - Review
Randall takes his girlfriend Emily to his father's beach house to try and reconcile their relationship which has become troubled and estranged since he dropped out of college. When they arrive they discover his father has already lent the home to an older couple, Mitch and Jane. Randall and Mitch decide, to the ladies' disappointment, that the house is big enough for all of them and they agree to vacation together. Unfortunately there is something lurking in the sleepy beachside town. That is the basic setup for what becomes a pretty tedious watch. I knew absolutely nothing about this movie other than it was a horror. The first half moved too slow and felt too ambiguous. With no sense of who the protagonists and antagonists were and due to the unexpected presence of Mitch and Jane, I wondered if it was a psychological horror and the houseguests were just going to turn on each other. In the first half, which is entirely comprised of dialogue and no action whatsoever you learn very little about the characters; only Emily is given any depth. The whole first half evokes that feeling like you are at a party stuck in a boring conversation you can't escape. There is no humor and even the introduction of some recreational drugs doesn't make the characters any more enjoyable to the viewer or each other. Finally the real threat is revealed and the movie starts to take off. From there the movie creates an adequate sense of claustrophobia and desperation as Randall and Emily discover they may have all been infected by some unknown contaminant. It's the best part of the movie but I wouldn't want to say much and spoil it, especially if you have the fortitude to sit through the first half.
I think the filmmaker was going for a 'slow burn' horror but they essentially fashioned a two act structure that feels tedious and directionless. The high concept story, which has potential, was obviously hamstringed by its low budget; the first half takes place entirely inside the house and there are no other characters for the protagonists to interact with. Although there are some good moments with body horror in the style of David Cronenberg, the actual threat and it's origin or purpose is never fully explained which can work for or against the film depending on the viewer.
Special props to the actors, especially Liana Liberato and Jake Weber, whose performances gave the characters what little depth they had.
5/10
Randall takes his girlfriend Emily to his father's beach house to try and reconcile their relationship which has become troubled and estranged since he dropped out of college. When they arrive they discover his father has already lent the home to an older couple, Mitch and Jane. Randall and Mitch decide, to the ladies' disappointment, that the house is big enough for all of them and they agree to vacation together. Unfortunately there is something lurking in the sleepy beachside town. That is the basic setup for what becomes a pretty tedious watch. I knew absolutely nothing about this movie other than it was a horror. The first half moved too slow and felt too ambiguous. With no sense of who the protagonists and antagonists were and due to the unexpected presence of Mitch and Jane, I wondered if it was a psychological horror and the houseguests were just going to turn on each other. In the first half, which is entirely comprised of dialogue and no action whatsoever you learn very little about the characters; only Emily is given any depth. The whole first half evokes that feeling like you are at a party stuck in a boring conversation you can't escape. There is no humor and even the introduction of some recreational drugs doesn't make the characters any more enjoyable to the viewer or each other. Finally the real threat is revealed and the movie starts to take off. From there the movie creates an adequate sense of claustrophobia and desperation as Randall and Emily discover they may have all been infected by some unknown contaminant. It's the best part of the movie but I wouldn't want to say much and spoil it, especially if you have the fortitude to sit through the first half.
I think the filmmaker was going for a 'slow burn' horror but they essentially fashioned a two act structure that feels tedious and directionless. The high concept story, which has potential, was obviously hamstringed by its low budget; the first half takes place entirely inside the house and there are no other characters for the protagonists to interact with. Although there are some good moments with body horror in the style of David Cronenberg, the actual threat and it's origin or purpose is never fully explained which can work for or against the film depending on the viewer.
Special props to the actors, especially Liana Liberato and Jake Weber, whose performances gave the characters what little depth they had.
5/10