House of Good and Evil (2013)

House of Good and Evil is a definite must watch. I had not heard of the film before previewing but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Though the idea of a couple purchasing a house with secrets is not by any stretch of the imagination new, the writer and director proved to not disappoint. The writing is on par with an interesting story line and realistic characters. All too often characters in horror movies either seem cartoon-like or like parodies of characters from other films in the genre. It is refreshing to view a a film that is not only well-made but entertaining to watch.

I am having a hard time finishing this movie, it isn't even the lack of any scares that is stopping me. The main character Maggie is unbearable. I have never seen a woman so obnoxious in my life, that they moment her voice opens I want to tape it shut. She is nothing but a venomous woman, who gets mad at her husband for no reason. I get that she is emotional and slowly going crazy from the house, but that doesn't give her the right to get all mad when she is backhanded. It was self defense with the way she was running at Chris. She slaps him when he confessed he told the real estate guy about her miscarriage...Really? He was trying to be considerate since he knew it bothered her. She is always angry, even to the next door neighbor. It is so annoying, a character should not be this bad that it makes the movie practically unwatchable.I'm also tired of her always needing to say mean stuff too, she is like the stereotypical woman. If I was a man, and this woman's husband I would have left her...But that is beside the point.This movie could have been better had the not made the main chick on almost every frame so annoying.

This is one of those films that makes you say "what?" to the television a lot, partly because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense at times and partly because the sound levels are sometimes inconsistent. You might have to keep fiddling with the volume to follow some of the mumble shots without getting overwhelmed by the background music used to let you know that something suspenseful must have happened. I was often left guessing about that. There's one particular scene in which the trees apparently make rumbling noises of some sort, and the music lets you know that that's very, very scary, whatever it is.My fiancée fell asleep about 10 minutes into it, which tells you something about the degree to which it merits being included in the "thriller" category. I can sit through almost anything, but I did look it up on IMDb for a bit since there wasn't much going on on the screen. This one would be a hard one to get through in a theater.It picks up a little bit in the middle, but I can't say there's much reason to stick it out. I suspect that whatever festival buzz it got is because it's sort of about wife abuse, though it's not totally clear what it's trying to say about it, other than that it's bad. Some of the acting is OK.

The firefighter Chris Conley (Christian Oliver) buys an isolated old house in the middle of nowhere with neither telephone nor electricity and moves with his estranged wife Maggie (Rachel Marie Lewis) expecting to save their marriage and restart a new life. A few months ago, Maggie was pregnant and lost her baby of eight months when Chris pushed her during an argument. The real estate agent Rob Bradley (Rob Neukirch) explains that the house is split in two and Maggie and Chris will need to share the space with the tenants Mr. and Mrs. Anderson (Jordan Rhodes and Marietta Marich) for at least one more month when the old couple will leave the house. Chris finds a job in the nearest town and leaves the unstable Maggie alone to unpack and decorate the house. Maggie overhears a telephone and weird noises in the house and soon she meets Mrs. Anderson and learns that Mr. Anderson is an abusive husband like she believes Chris is."House of Good and Evil" is a low-budget movie showing the process of madness developed in slow pace and a predictable conclusion. The development of the relationship between Maggie and Chris in the beginning is weak and the madness process of Maggie is obvious. The story takes place in the present days and it is weird that an urban couple moves to a decrepit house without the modern facilities – electric power, telephone, Internet and gas - to begin a new life with the husband needing to travel and leave his wife alone. Last but not the least, I had great expectations with this movie since it has been recommended by a friend of mine and probably it increased my deception. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): Not Available