Open House

Keeping it in the family

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“A recently divorced woman is attempting to sell her home when two lunatics break in & murder everyone she loves or cares about in her life.There's a bit more to the story than that but im not going to ruin it.Besides you'll probably figure it out within 15 minutes anyway. Nothing groundbreaking here there are a few jolts some shocks & enough sustained tension to not bog things down & keep the movie from being too dumb or too overcooked. Open House looks crisp & moves briskly & has a lot of TV actors in lead roles which typically is disastrous for these micro movies. Anna Paquin is topped billed on this site which is understandable considering her bro is the brains behind it but unfair to Rachel Blanchard & Brian Geraghty who are 2 of 3 actors that carry this movie for its duration. The 3rd is Tricia Helfer of BSG fame who does the psycho bitch routine very well.Watch her facial expressions throughout Open House & you'll know what I mean. The only complaint I have is the end which feels rushed & unsatisfactory.However I cared enough about the victims to say a few times aww man I kinda liked that guy.Which is pretty good in my opinion because all the side actors are just lambs to the slaughter & you know it as soon as they pop up on screen.All in all Andrew Paquin is a competent writer & director who should have no problem tackling bigger mainstream movies in the future. Sidenote here I hate True Blood!Am I the only one that feels Alan Ball is slumming it?!?!? I say this only because Sookie & Bill share some screen time here. That is all go watch Open House & Enjoy but if your expecting your two favorite True Blood actors to have a big meaty part in this sorry but its just a selling point.They're screen time is extremely limited.”

There were no brains is this lack lustre shocker, that was tired and predictable from the opening shot to the closing.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“There is absolutely nothing of value in this movie. First of all, forget about the tension or suspense or mystery - because there is none of that. The plot is so hollow that you could seriously not care less what happens next - except looking forward to the end credits. For an R-rated film about sex and murder both of those things are suspiciously missing. Sure people are killed, but they are killed with cutaway shots and splashes of raspberry jam against the wall or window. And the "sex" scenes make old episodes of The Love Boat look x-rated. I guess it was writer Andrew Paquin's sister who got him the chance to make this horrid screenplay into a movie. And if she bankrolled it too, then it's probably his last. Well, it's probably is last anyway. I can usually even enjoy watching bad movies... but not this one.”

Completely agree with this one.

What I thought:
One thing pops to mind when watching this movie; Family. The two murderers of our story are brother and sister and have a weird incest thing going on. They’re not the only ones though, wait for the end credits and you’ll see the Directors name; Andrew Paquin. Anna Paquins brother, you know the one from True Blood or Rogue in X-men if you will. She’s in this but don’t let the topping the bill confuse you, she’s in it for about 5 minutes in what was clearly just a favour. This is the biggest problem with the film, if you have a sister who has already made her name for her self don’t drag her down with your first directorial effort even if she offered first.

Andrew Paquin may be a little known writer but directing is not his forte by a long shot. Open House is a run of the mill shocker about a divorcee who is selling her home. When a couple “move” in and start killing almost everyone and keep her tied up in the basement it’s all downhill from that point. Where to start really, sex scenes where someone should tell the director that underwear should probably come off for the actual act. Death scenes that are at best; basic slash and stab with a lot of fake blood. It’s just a very un-imaginative film with a basic premise that could have been worked into something so much better.

Some of the acting however is half decent, the brother and sister do quite well at playing clearly demented people. Quick glances and long silences work to tell you a bit about their mental state, all other actors do their jobs well. Anna Paquin and her hubby (Stephen Moyer) both make token appearances and both struggle to make more of the bad writing. As for our damsel in distress (Rachel Blanchard) who I know better as Nancy from Peep Show, she’s good and convincing as a vulnerable divorcee but again there’s that writing and of course she’s locked up for half the movie.

It's like a house of cards, the directing and the writing let the rest of the film down. The effect is a Thrilling shocker that wont thrill or shock.