DARK HOUSE (2014)

Studio:       New Video Group
Director:    Victor Salva
Writer:       Charles Agron, Victor Salva
Producer:  Charles Agron, Don E. Fauntleroy, Victor Salva
Stars:     Luke Kleintank, Anthony Rey Perez, Alex McKenna, Zack Ward, Lacey Anzelc, Ethan S. Smith, Max Gail, Lesley-Anne Down, Tobin Bell

Review Score:

---

Summary:

Born with an ability to see how people will die, Nick investigates a haunted family home that holds the truth about his mysterious power.

---

Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

On his 23rd birthday, Nick Di Santo is summoned to the mental hospital where his estranged mother Molly is committed. Nick touches his mother and has a vision of her dying violently in a fire. Molly tells her son that she promised the “things in the wall” that she would tell Nick the truth about his father, but Nick leaves before hearing her out.

Nick goes to a bar with his best friend Ryan. There, Nick meets a girl named Eve and later takes her home. It is also revealed that Nick can see a vision of how a person will die by touching him/her, provided that person is destined to die violently. On a news broadcast later that night, Nick learns of a fire at the asylum that takes the life of his mother.

Eight Months Later – Nick meets with Judge Maxwell Bing, who appears to be communicating with someone through a grate in the wall before Nick arrives. Bing goes over the details of Molly’s will and Nick learns that he inherited an old mansion. Nick shows a photo of the mansion to Ryan and to Eve, who is now pregnant with Nick’s unborn child. Nick tells them that it is the same house he had drawn all throughout childhood, but never knew actually existed.

Nick takes Ryan and Eve with him as he goes in search of the mansion to learn the truth about his father and his ability. Nick discovers that the house was located in a town called River’s End, but the town washed away in a flood. A local named Lucky tells Nick that legend says the house known as “Wormwood” could not be destroyed and only washed away to another location.

Back on the road, Nick, Ryan, and Eve come across a trio of land surveyors named Chris McCulloch, Lilith, and Sam. The surveyors help Nick search for Wormwood. While Lilith waits behind with Eve, the four men go into the woods to find the house.

The men meet Seth, the house’s mysterious resident. Seth tries to warn the men away from the property while referring to Sam as Samael, but ultimately allows Nick inside. As Seth gives Nick more cryptic warnings, a group of long-haired axmen in trenchcoats surround the men waiting outside. Ryan calls for Nick and the four men then flee through the forest with the axmen in pursuit. A thrown ax hits Sam and Seth then puts his own ax blade into Sam’s skull.

Nick, Ryan, and Chris return to the women and everyone escapes in the surveyors’ van. They drive back into town, but find it strangely deserted. As if in a parallel reality, Lucky can see Nick and the others searching for help outside the diner. Lucky then tells a voice in the walls that he will lead Nick back to the house.

Lucky later appears alongside a stalled car on the road, causing Chris to swerve and to crash into a tree at the bottom of the embankment. Everyone then discovers that they have mysteriously returned to the old house. With sundown approaching, the group decides to spend the night in the house.

As strange events continue occurring throughout the night, a mob of axmen surrounds the group. Nick and the others come to realize that the axmen become animated whenever they try to open a mysterious door to the basement.

After fleeing from the axmen, Nick and Ryan find Sam’s body in the forest, but they see that his flesh was hiding a demon underneath. Ryan recalls Seth referring to Sam as Samael. Using his phone to look up the reference, Ryan discovers that Samael is a demon’s name and so is Lilith, who is said to go after unborn children.

Lilith reveals herself as a demon to Eve, but Seth arrives to kill Lilith before she can harm Eve or the baby. Nick confronts Chris and learns that Chris is part of the same league of demons to which Nick’s father belonged, as are Lucky and the townspeople. As his father’s half-human and half-demon offspring, Nick’s destiny is to release his father’s trapped soul from the house using the blood of 23 beating hearts. Seth and the axmen are actually the opposing force of angels in a battle of good versus evil. The townspeople arrive and engage in a bloody fight with the axmen

The next morning, Ryan and Eve confront Nick, who has accepted his true heritage. Nick tears out Ryan’s heart. Realizing that Nick intends to kill her and the baby as the final two sacrifices, Eve flees in a panic. Eve blacks out, but later awakens in a hospital to learn that she gave birth to a baby boy and that it was Seth who saved her.

Four Years Later – Eve raises her son as a single mother. Meanwhile, the little boy is instructed to draw the old house by a voice in the walls.

---

Review:

“Dark House” cruises effectively for a considerable amount of time on the strength of a strange mystery that steadily increases its intoxicating weirdness by piling on elements of haunted house suspense, angel versus demon mythology, and ax-wielding maniac mayhem.  Then once all of the cards have been dealt, the hand plays out as a round of flat action that tastes disappointingly stale in light of how many potent ingredients were in the mix.

Provided that person is destined to die in horribly violent fashion, Nick has the ability to touch someone and see how s/he will meet the reaper.  The origin behind his blessing/curse involves a father he never knew, an insane mother who speaks to a voice in the walls, and a dark mansion in the woods that literally fell off the map when a flood wiped out a small town.

By the time “Dark House” reaches its midpoint, Nick has collected a pregnant girlfriend, a concerned buddy, a trio of helpful land surveyors, and the deed to that mysterious old house mentioned earlier.  En route to uncovering the secrets of said house, Nick and company encounter a crimp-haired Tobin Bell, a gaggle of ax-tossing golems, and end up in a parallel reality where all roads lead back to the mansion no matter what.

“Dark House” spins a web with so many intriguingly bizarre threads that it is almost impossible not to smile while marveling at the inventiveness of its amalgamated ideas and wondering how in the world all of these things will tie together.  With so much for the imagination to chew on, it feels like “Dark House” is leading towards something cleverer than what it ultimately delivers.  So when the hump between lead-in and climax drags the momentum through a tar pit, it affords more time to recognize that most of the toys in the sandbox end up buried at the bottom, unused and unnecessary.

It is a mild letdown since “Dark House” initially appears to be creating a fresh and fun original story out of tired tropes and well-worn plot devices.  After it becomes clear that the mystery merely builds to an average good battling evil theme, the movie rushes to make pieces fit and whatever doesn’t is left by the wayside.

“Dark House” stands flapping in the wind with asides regarding numerology, foretold prophecies, and Nick’s “Dead Zone” ability that kicked off the whole story ending up in effect as inessential distractions.  And when the script is backed into a corner with something it doesn’t know how to handle, it lobs a Hail Mary pass that more often than not sticks out like a throbbing red thumb.

In one instance, once everyone is lost in the forest, trapped in an old house, and surrounded by murderous men brandishing tree-chopping blades, naturally no one’s cell phone works.  Except when one of the characters needs a bit of background exposition about the unfolding drama.  Then he is suddenly able to Google a few convenient references for plot-advancing purposes, even though making a phone call is still a no-go.

“Saw” icon Tobin Bell enters odd Danny Trejo territory with his too brief appearance in “Dark House.”  Despite top billing and a co-producer credit to boot, Bell appears in what is still an important role, albeit one that is only onscreen for three relatively short scenes.

Although he relies a little heavily on watery saucer eyes to convey his tortured good guy persona, Luke Kleintank and the rest of the cast are more than game for delivering solid performances that are actually better than some of the material they have to work with.  Director Victor Salva and his co-writer Charles Agron were on their way towards tapping into classic horror inspirations for a seemingly unique spin on familiar territory.  And they still manage to create a fair share of tense atmosphere and entertaining set pieces.  But the final direction loses its focus before buckling under the weight of characters, concepts, and side plots that do more to weigh down the core story than they do to enhance it.

Review Score:  60

---