If
you have seen The Grudge, you
understand the dead are rather angry at the world in general. As it happens
there are very specific reasons why the Ashers’ new house does not have such a
homey feel. Their teenage son and his new girlfriend will find themselves
caught up in the supernatural goings on in Mac Carter’s Haunt (trailer
here), which
opens today in New York.
Evidently,
Evan Asher has some issues in the past, but his parents initially think this
move will be good for him, especially, when he immediately picks up with Sam, a
nice girl from the trailer park side of the tracks. Unfortunately, his room is
right next to the house’s secret cellar door, where it all went down, whatever
it was. Coming across an old radio tube contraption of a Ouija board, the teens
inadvertently stir up the angry presences even more.
Although
the Asher parents remain duly oblivious, freaky things start happening. Yet,
Sam still prefers crashing at their house than dealing with her abusive father.
Jane Morello, the mother and only surviving member of the previous family, ought
to have some insight into the house’s dark history, but she is reluctant to
talk, except to provide the film’s occasional voice-overs.
Haunt is a good
example of how a horror film can realize a very creepy vibe on a limited
budget. All the ominous nooks and crannies of the house and that cursed box
give the film a memorable look. While the narrative is relatively simple,
Carter does not blatantly telegraph the final shoe to drop. In fact, following
the big reveal, he wraps it up rather precipitously, almost seeming rushed.
The
kids are at least alright in Haunt,
particularly Liana Liberato, who comes across much more natural and grounded
than the cringey problem daughters she played in Erased and the train wreck that was Trespass. Harrison Gilbertson helps make amends for Virginia’s manic-depressive melodrama
with his reasonably restrained and engaging work as the teenaged Asher. It is a
little mind-blowing to see Ione Skye (from Say
Anything and River’s Edge) as the
clueless mom, but she is fine adhering to minimal demands of the time-honored
stock character. However, it is Jacki Weaver who really gets to chew some
scenery in her all too brief appearances as the widow Morello.
