House - Movie Review and Synopsis

On a deserted back road in alabama, Jack and Stephanie find themselves driving fast and running late. Their world suddenly changes when a strange accident leaves them stranded with no car, no cell phone coverage, and no help in sight. They have no choice except to continue on foot. As darkness approaches, they round a bend and see a small sign at the top of a long gravel driveway: The Wayside Inn.

The exhausted couple stands in front of an inviting house, complete with gated stone wall, ancient oak trees, and a note welcoming weary travelers. Inside they find another couple with an equally troubling story about a similar accident. It seems that backwoods pranksters have made their day miserable. Still, they are safe . . .

Or so they think.

This adaptation of the best-selling novel from Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti finally locked in a post-Halloween release after a year of come-and-go dates. Seeming to combine elements of the Saw legacy, Vacancy, and even Se7en, the material here focuses on the struggle between Good and Evil; that fact, combined with the faith of the writers, is causing a lot of people to brand House as a “Christian cult film.” Be that as it may, the trailer reveals a potentially controversial phrase (the villain apparently “killed God” after he let Him into his house) — a brazen statement that to me makes Jigsaw (who is so tired after Saw V) and his ilk feel somewhat tame in comparison. Director Robby Henson has worked from novels by Dekker (Thr3e) and Peretti (The Visitation) before, and something tells me this triad will find their greatest success working together. Fans of the hardworking Michael Madsen will not be disappointed here, either.

Rated R for some violence and terror.