Review of Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007) by Robert B — 13 Oct 2007

The sister of one of the original haunted hill visitors finds herself involved in a conspiracy that brings her into the "house".

I didn't really expect much from a straight-to-dvd sequel to an unremarkable/forgettable horror movie. This is maybe why I didn't find this movie as bad as it possibly was.

First things first, the story leading up to the entry of the house was brutal. Poorly written, hashed out, etc. It was lame. The characters were total cliches, which allows the audience to know climactic conflicts well ahead of time. Problematic character interaction was an issue as well. Bad dialogue, bad acting, and the aforementioned uninspired interaction disengage the audience. The writers seemed to be putting their efforts into creative death scenes/sequences. I will say, the creepiness, death scenes, action montages are surprisingly effective and innovative. Which is what I can say about the direction as well. It is competent, and occasionally inspired - albeit inconsistent and amateurish. Someone who needs more practice.

The climax of the film was again, surprising. It was a lot more fun and interesting than the story leading up to it warranted. Predictable yet clever, this film was better than I would have thought it would be. Watch it one night on the space channel when you're bored.