It
was a bummer when Hurricane Sandy ruined Halloween for City kids, but the rash
of child kidnappings are an even bigger downer for this jittery Midwestern
burg. When the big celebration is canceled, Killian’s punky big brother
logically drags him into the woods to set off their own fireworks. Of course,
he is also hoping to hook up with a girl from school, but the brothers will
have a different sort of encounter in Michael Bartlett’s Treehouse (trailer
here),
which opens tomorrow in Los Angeles.
Crawford
always protected the sullen Killian from their abusive father. They now live
with an aunt who seems nice enough, but they do not feel secure in their new
home. With the Halloween hoedown called off due to a series of home invasion-abductions,
such as the one we witness during the prologue, Crawford and his friends
arrange to meet out in the woods, where there is no cell reception, unbeknownst
to any adults. Sounds good. Thinking they have been stood up, the brothers
amble through the forest chancing upon a treehouse. Inside they find the very
frightened Elizabeth, who we last saw running after her brother Little Bob at
the top of the film.
Of
course, they are not alone. The responsible parties are also out there,
watching and waiting. Badly injured, Elizabeth refuses to leave the treehouse,
so Crawford agrees to go for help while Killian stays with the slightly older
teen. That’s right, they split up, during the dark of night, when they know
they are being hunted.
Although
Treehouse follows a pretty standard narrative
arc, it must be said that Bartlett sure knew how to end it. So many
horror-exploitation films think they are being clever when they serve up a
bitterly nihilistic kick-‘em-back-down-again ending that are always a total
letdown if we have made any sort of emotional investment. Instead, Bartlett
promises us exactly what we want.
In
truth, Treehouse is nowhere near as
inventive as Adam Green’s Digging Up the Marrow (also opening this week), but J. Michael Trautmann and Dana Melanie
develop some rather spirited chemistry as Killian and Elizabeth, respectively.
Daniel Fredrick also exhibits such a strong screen presence it is a shame he
makes his did-he-get-away-clean-or-not exit comparatively early on.
