When
you think teddy bears and lock-and-key diaries, do you think cute or creepy? In
this neighborhood, they are definitely creepy, especially the diary Todd and Rebecca
Jordan found sewn-up in a battered teddy bear, plastered behind the wall of
their new suburban home. It turns out the journal was kept by a little girl who
lived there many years ago. Whatever happened to her isn’t over yet in
director-co-writer-co-star Zack Ward’s Restoration
(trailer
here),
which releases today on VOD.
Rebecca
Jordan is a doctor in her residency and Todd is handy with power tools. They plan
to remodel extensively, but that is okay. They bought their house at a bargain
price after the grumpy old man living there passed away, leaving behind an
extensive teddy bear collection. Todd therefore thinks little of it when he
finds yet another while ripping up the walls, even though it has Macguffin
written all over it. He is more distracted by the nosy neighbors, Harold and
Francine, who seem to think they could all be the next Bob & Carol &
Ted & Alice (the sitcom version).
Strange
things start happening shortly thereafter, spurring Rebecca to read young
Katherine’s double secret diary. It turns out a serial killer was preying on
children while she was writing, striking increasingly close to home. They have
reason to believe her restless spirit is still tethered to the house, as well
as something much more malevolent.
As
horror movies go, Restoration is
quite serviceable. In fact, Katherine’s backstory sequences tap into some
pretty deep, dark, archetypal anxieties. However, it is a slower starter and a
weak finisher, giving us way too much martial angst and “howdy neighbor”
exchanges. Out of the three horror films hitting theaters or VOD this week, it
ranks in third place.
Emily
Roya O’Brien has some poise and presence as the reasonable proactive Rebecca
Jordan, but Adrian Gaeta is rather bland and forgettable as Todd. However, Ward
and Sarah Ann Shultz give the film regular energy boosts as Harold and Francine,
playing off each other quite nicely.
All
things considered, Restoration is
undeniable competent by genre standards, but it ought to be more special. Diehard
horror fans can safely save it for later and casual fans can take it or leave
it. Earning a passing grade but not with distinction, Restoration is now available on VOD platforms.
