Review of The Open House (2018) by Milraen H — 30 Jan 2018

I don't typically write reviews of any kind, but considering how everyone and their dog is shitting on this movie I wanted to give it a go. First of all, don't enter this movie expecting Oscar winning performances.

Actors, Dylan Minnette and Piercey Dalton play a fairly believable mother and son relationship. In a few instances throughout the movie I could literally picture me and my mom having those exact conversations and arguments.

They weren't stellar performances, but they were organic enough for us, the audience, to trust and believe they were a mother and teenage son going through a difficult life transition. As for the plot, its reminiscent of Disturbia.

Father dies tragically and the family tries to cope with their loss by going to stay at Naomi's (the mother) sister's place in the mountains while it is being sold, hence the title, The Open House.

They meet several characters that are strange, creepy and downright intrusive, and as the days go by weird things start to happen, such as, phones go missing, the water heater keeps turning off and a mysterious thumping sound can be heard coming from down in the basement.

Now this may raise alarm bells in most people, but Naomi is adamant about staying in the house, despite these "happenings" because she doesn't have the cash to put them up in a hotel for the night.

This leads to our inevitable night of terror for our guests. The twist at the end may leave a bad taste in some people's mouths, but I say it works on two levels: 1. Violence can happen randomly, and 2.

Some mysteries go unsolved. I am not saying this ending or movie deserves an academy award, but it subverts our expectations and should be praised for giving us something new to chew on. It's an average film with an exceptional ending that left me wondering what comes next.