Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
Sub-category: Teen Thriller, Possession, Haunted House
Setting: Old House
Predictability: Somewhat Predictable
Scare Factor: I checked under my bed twice
Gore Factor: No Blood, Some Guts
Look-at-these: No Nudity
Synopsis: Elizabeth gathers together a group of college-aged acquaintances (Brad, Janet, Tony, Scott, Maria, Jack and Jennifer) for a party. The group doesn't suspect that Elizabeth has called them together to exact revenge for their ancestors having burned her ancestor, Lilith the witch, at the stake back in the 1600s. All seven must try to escape the haunted house where Lilith was caught trying to perform a human sacrifice centuries earlier. Who will survive and who will be the death of the party?
Title Significance: The house where the film takes place is the house where the witch Lilith attempted a human sacrifice before being captured and burned. The film has two sequels of the same title.
Quotable Quotes:
"We're gonna make like a baby and head out." (Janet)
"I'm all about sex 24/7, but this isn't the time and this sure as hell isn't the place." (Janet)
"I'm an applied science major. It's time to apply science to this situation." (Jack)
Analysis: I had watched and enjoyed Witchouse III: Demon Fire. So, based on the rule that horror sequels tend to be worse than the original, I chose to rent the film that set the series in motion. I was certainly not disappointed; this movie was really quite good aside from the acting. The film features a number of actors that star in a handful of other horror flicks, including Ariauna Albright, Jason Faunt, Dane Northcutt Marissa Tait and David Oren Ward. (NOTE: David Oren Ward was murdered in 1999 after a short but successful acting career) As for the rest of the cast, this film is the only credit to their name. This isn't all that surprising because most of the acting is pretty lame. They simply aren't believable as the characters they portray, with the exception of David Oren Ward as a stoner. For some strange reason poor acting only seems to enhance my enjoyment of horror films. I've never figured out why this happens to be the case. On the upshot, they are all pretty hot which distracts a bit from their inability to perform.
There is a very good cross-section of characters in this film. They represent many of the flavors that young adults come in. If only the actors could pull them off:
If there were an award for the most cheesy lines in a single film, then it would have to go to Matt Raferty as Jack. There are just too many to count. Janet, the party girl, also has a number of memorable lines.
The use of candle-lighting makes the spooky old house even spookier. The cinematography is truly great. While the film doesn't make use of the stalking scenes like Witchouse 3, it does have some excellent shots involving the witch Lilith. This includes some very well executed shots of her hovering towards her victims. The costumes are very well done. The demonically possessed characters are hideous enough to be scary but not so gross as to make them repulsive. I only have two major complaints about the special effects. One is that the voice of Lilith, a female witch, is that overused deep male synthesized demon voice. The voice was a bit obnoxious and simply didn't fit the character. The second is the lightning that shoots from Lilith's fingertips. This is just plain cheesy. I mean, come on now.
The story is your typical revenge story. A descendant exacting vengeance for the wrongs of the past. There is one twist at the end. I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn't. Since I firmly believe that the film is worth watching, I won't give it away.
Final Comments: Overall, this movie is very well done. It's scary, it's well filmed and it's got a gorgeous cast (if only they could act). If you're a fan of the teenage horror movies, then give this one a watch. I don't think that you will be disappointed. Well worth the $3 rental fee.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.