The Selling (2011)

It's like Tucker, and Dale try to sell House 1 or 2, then just for more slapstick a bit of Mousehunt thrown into the mix. Very funny movie, completely tongue firmly in cheek all the way. Bleeding walls are a must. Great story played out by a very good cast of somewhat well knows. How do you sell a house full of ghosts in this economy without telling anyone that the house was once owned by a famous, though unconvicted serial killer? Really fun and full of life for a house full of dead people. My only problem with the movie as a whole and this always takes a point off, but the whole story is shown in the credits, and that is never good. I think you will Enjoy this one for all the right reasons, and if not then just because it is smart, and unique, and those are reason enough.

My wife and I saw this film together and we both loved it. And there are not many movies I can honestly say that about! I have recommended it to many of my friends, and will continue to do so.From the opening scene to the closing credit roll, I was thoroughly delighted. This is a movie about believable characters working through a crazy situation, and it's played for laughs. The movie has a simple honesty and charm which is so lacking from many contemporary movies. The only other movie I've seen recently with heart like this is Safety Not Guaranteed. (If you loved that movie, do yourself a huge favor and watch this one.) For those of you old enough to remember, this is a movie in the best tradition of 1970s comedies. Imagine if Blake Edwards had done a comedy/horror film mash-up and this film is what you would get. This is not a high budget film with explosions and crazy computer effects, although the effects that are present do the job nicely. This movie is a comedy. Period. The horror undertones are important but secondary, and serve principally to support the story. The plot, the characters, and all their interactions are played for comedy. And it works wonderfully.If you're looking for a fun, light-hearted comedy with excellent characters, this is your movie. If you're looking for vapid, high-budget Hollywood schlock, then this is not for you.

I saw this film with my husband at the Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. After seeing the trailer, I thought we would be in for a cute/silly indie horror-comedy flick. I was not prepared for The Selling to be one of the funniest comedy feature films that I have seen in many years. This film is chock full of hilarious lines (that we found ourselves quoting the entire drive back to Florida)and comedic situations that had us roaring with laughter. Seeing Barry Bostwick as the priest attempting to exercise the house of its spirits was the cherry on top of this great film.To put it simply, this film is a must-see. I am a filmmaker myself (my film, Loverboy, played in the same festival where I saw this) and I felt it an honor to play in the same festival as the Selling. I hope a major company picks this film up for distribution. I know if they do it will be a massive hit.Great job to the cast and crew. 10 out of 10. Without a doubt!

Ask anyone if real estate agents have ethics, and you're bound to get a fair share of horror stories about those who don't, for the sake of sales revenue and to line their own pockets with fat commissions, who can sell just about any property by glossing over pertinent details and avoiding taboo ones so that some sucker out there would lay down some hard earned capital. For Richard Scarry (Gabriel Diani), he's a down to earth, all round nice guy who just couldn't lie, and finds himself in a fix when he and his business partner Dave Ross (Jonathan Klein) got duped by a rival agent Mary (Janet Verney) in getting a haunted house (along Elm Street no less) on their portfolio, only to find that getting rid of it isn't exactly a walk in the park.Gabriel Diani, who also wrote the story, had crafted a fine, independent film that's essentially a horror-comedy treatment sorely missed these days, where its intend to scare is light, and balanced with a good dose of comedy and wit as it pays homage to a number of horror classics that genre fans will not fail to identify. What's more, there's a fair bit of narrative going on with a piece of mystery woven in, since it involves no less than 12 ghosts, where their unfinished business gets in the way of our real estate agents who try their best to auction the house, only to have their efforts thwarted since nobody in the right frame of mind will want to get something alive like Hausu.If I can draw some parallels, it's story-telling is along the same vein as Ghostbusters as well as The Frighteners, with the ghouls are none too threatening, and despite it being modestly budgeted, have enough special effects magic in it to juice the film up, while not forsaking what's primarily essential in any film, a solid storyline. It's almost like a tale of two halves, where we get to see indirect references to recent housing woes in the USA and the comedic bantering between man and spirit as Richard and Dave try to find a compromise with the inherent occupants of the property, and montages used as set pieces for comedy when all things are light and dandy. The later half though progressively got a bit more sinister with intent and objectives being revealed, though again fit for young ones as events were kept deliberately light for broad based appeal. What worked in its favour is the strength of the characters that Diani created, although some may argue that they're pretty much one-dimensional, such as Dave as the partner whose nature and mannerisms never fail to become punchlines, or how Mary as their nemesis they love to hate remains pretty much consistent throughout, each character has enough quirks to make them uniquely appealing. Gabriel Diani himself probably plays the most complex amongst all since he's the leading man undergoing profound experiences, while real life partner Etta Devine stars as the ghostly expert/blogger who lends a helping hand. Nancy Lenehan plays Richard's cancer-suffering mom who still has a degree of spunk for life and attitude, and the banter between mother and son as mentioned by Diani during the Q&A, is based very much with his own late mother.The Selling scores in it not trying too hard, and has many endearing elements that demands a second viewing. I know it's still early in the festival, but this will probably end up as one of the most entertaining that packs a solid narrative punch despite its compact 90 minutes. Highly recommended so make sure you do get to watch it if you can as it does its festival rounds. Stay tuned throughout the end credits as well for a number of comedic stingers.