House of Fears

HOUSE OF FEARS

A reasonably entertaining horror film from 2007 that features exceptionally cool sets, House of Fears follows a young adult (Samantha) and her stepsister (Hailey) as they traipse through a haunted house attraction (the kind you pay to get into to be scared by animatronics and guys wearing rubber masks) before it officially opens.  They’re accompanied by four friends (Devon, Carter, Zane, and Candice).  What they don’t know is that a small statue the owner imported from Africa has the supernatural ability to manifest the fears of those who encounter it, so half an hour into the tale (which runs 80 minutes total before the end credits roll) all hell breaks loose (starting with the death of Zane, who gets sliced to death by a costumed mannequin that comes to life).  At first the group thinks a normal flesh-and-blood murderer lurks in the house with them, though they ultimately figure out that there’s something more happening.  Candice gets separated from the others and finds herself trapped in an area that looks like an Egyptian tomb, and her fear of suffocation becomes a reality as sand pours into the room.  Mummy hands reach out of the sand and pull her under in a particularly spooky scene.  The story becomes increasingly harrowing as the four others encounter an assortment of nightmares brought to life (including an ambulatory scarecrow and evil clowns).  Two survivors ultimately emerge from the house alive at dawn.

Slow to get going and featuring mostly generic and stereotypical characters, House of Fears is still worth watching as part of a decent Halloween-season film festival.  Readily available on DVD, the project includes some creative death scenes and fantastic production design.  It’s a shame that the early dialogue and group dynamics are bland (Samantha and Hailey don’t get along because Hailey is mad at her father for marrying Samantha’s mother, and Hailey and her boyfriend Carter bicker about whether or not they should date other people).  Despite these flaws, the movie delivers some genuine shocks and scares in an eye-catching environment (the house includes a hall of mirrors plus sections that look like a graveyard, an old insane asylum, the aforementioned Egyptian tomb, and other atmospheric sets).  Seven minutes pass in the opening before the audience meets the protagonist, and I’m not convinced that the prologue (in which the owner of the house acquires the statue in Africa) is really needed.  If you can sit through the slow first 30 minutes, House of Fears ultimately delivers some good jolts.  I recommend this film with mild reservations.