The Haunting of #24 (2007)

This film basically does to boarding houses what the Shining did to the hotel.Without really much to spoil I was pretty satisfied about this film. It wasn't overly gory or profanity (although it could have had less, but these English films). It was just creepy and scary. I really enjoyed the part with the little girl playing ball.The story is basically just a guy renting a cheap room, but strange spooky things keep happening that soon drive him insane. The only 2 people there are a crazy old estranged lady and a nice humble old land lord.What this film really reminded me of, was this TV series that had an episode called Dreams in the Witches House. It seemed exactly like that. If you've seen that and liked it, you'll want to see this.Only problem with this film is that, it kind of asks a bit of questions at the end (and the profanity IMO was just a bit heavy).One other thing though, there's a clip after the END CREDITS

After breaking-up with his girlfriend Veronica (Nina Sosanya), the unemployed John Hare (Stuart Laing) rents a cheap room in an old boarding house owned by the nice Martin Stone (Robert Blythe) and the landlord tells him that the house is crowded by discreet persons. John does not see any other tenant but a bizarre old woman (Susan Engel) in the house and during the nights, he sees weird things on his television and hears violent knocks on his door. When John calls Veronica, she notes that he is near a breakdown after many sleepless nights and decides to stay with him. However, Veronica vanishes during the night, leading John to an ultimate decision."Lie Still" has an extreme low-budget, but a good direction, great acting and a scary nightmarish atmosphere with suitable use of lighting. The plot is disclosed in slow-pace, succeeding in transmitting the distress and confusion of the lead character to the viewer. Unfortunately the movie fails with the disappointing conclusion, and the viewer never knows what John might have done to be in the limbo (or hell). Or is he just stressed and imagining the situations? What is the meaning of the tombstone with the words "Lie Still"? But on the contrary of other reviews, I would like to see another movie of director Sean Hogan to have a better evaluation of his work. If this director has the chance to read my review, I would appreciate receiving an explanation about the open conclusion of the story. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Noites de Agonia" ("Nights of Agony")

This film was decent, certainly better than expected. The performances were strong and the directing was good. The setting really gave this film a nice feel.The pacing slowed toward the end however, just when I expected things to heat up. I was on the edge of my seat a couple of times, ready for a scare but the scare never really came. So while the film did a nice job of setting the tone and creating a frightening atmosphere, it never really punched it home.As far as the story is concerned, it never evolved, nor did it offer anything that you weren't already expecting. Furthermore, the characters didn't have any real history. Basically, nothing was fleshed out here. Granted, I realize you don't often get that sort of thing in a horror film but I thought this film could have benefited greatly from it.In terms of cinematography, it had sort of an amateur feel, no doubt a result of the low budget. However, this may have helped rather than hurt matters, as the film did not rely on special effects and gore to create suspense. Everything good in this film was earned. There was nothing cheap about it.For example, the greatest moments in the film come without the use of either special effects or gore - the first meeting with the old woman and the happenings concerning the old photograph on the wall.Overall, the film is worthwhile but you'll probably agree that it fizzles out in the end.

Well here's a movie that probably will be long forgotten before it properly hits the lowest shelves of second-class rental stores… "Lie Still", the debut film of Sean Hogan, simply hasn't got anything to offer that makes it memorable. Gorehounds will drop out instantly, as the film doesn't feature the slightest amount of action or excitement. Partly because there wasn't enough budget for special effects but mainly because Hogan clearly intended to bring an old-fashioned atmospheric and story-driven ghost story. Fine by me! I encourage the revival of intelligent suspense-horror, but the problem here is that the script of "Lie Still" is as superficial and basic as can be. After the painful break-up with his girlfriend, unemployed and soft drugs addicted John Hare moves into a cheap room of an ancient house. He hopes to take a fresh start, but the house soon turns out to be a haunted place where the restless spirits of previous residents still dwell around. A premise like this immediately reminds you of popular films like "The Others" or "The Devil's Backbone" and thus you begin to prepare yourself for a supernatural and totally unexpected twist in the end. The problem with "Lie Still" is that this particular twist never comes! Okay…so there are ghosts in the house and all this relates to the vicious history of the house's first owner who's buried in the backyard. That's it? Where's the climax? This movie ends exactly like it began: slow, uninteresting and anonymous. The only positive elements I can possibly mention are a handful of atmospheric sequences and only ONE ingenious finding (the people inside the television set). I picked up somewhere that the screenplay was written in only a couple of weeks (I believe that), but that it took another two years before the required budget was raised. What budget? I bet most of the money was spent on coffee & medication in order to keep cast and crew members awake during filming. The acting performances are fairly satisfying, though, and Hogan's inexperienced approach of the genre occasionally does look charming.