By Melissa Ann
Haunted houses are one of my favorite sub-genres when it comes to horror movies. Unfortunately, this is an area that has been lacking for some time. Many of the recent ghost movies are filled with cheap jump scares and are mediocre at best. I’m always on the lookout for a movie that can stay with me like Poltergeist (original, of course) and The Changeling. After viewing the trailer for We Are Still Here, I bought a digital copy on Amazon within minutes. Thankfully, my $8 was very well spent.
Do not be fooled into thinking We Are Still Here is the same clichéd haunted house movie we’ve seen a million times. The scares, and there were many, never felt forced or cheap. There were moments when I found myself clutching my Camp Crystal Lake throw pillow way too hard and I love this movie for that reason. Getting a rush from being frightened can be a wonderful thing.
Set around 1979, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) are grieving parents who recently lost their college-age son in a car crash. They move to an old house in a sleepy New England town to start over, but Anne starts to have unexplained experiences. She believes her son’s spirit is moving objects and whispering out to her. Anne invites her psychic friends (Lisa Marie and Larry Fessenden) out to contact their deceased son. However, we soon find out that there is darkness lurking that originates from the house’s grisly past.
The first occupants of the house were wronged in the worse way by the town’s residents. Every 30 years, the vengeful spirits that remain require a family as sacrifice, or unfortunate events happen within the town. The couples staying at house find out that the worried residents can be just as dangerous as the house itself.
All of the kills in this movie are gruesome and do not shy away from blood splatter. I cannot remember the last time I got my fill of ghosts and gore within the same film. I was able to spot scenes influenced by the great Lucio Fulci, as well as references to his work. I felt like this was a love note beautifully written to Fulci by director and writer Ted Geoghegan.
I have to mention how excited I was to see one of my favorite horror queens, Barbara Crampton, in a lead role. She’s known for her work in Re-Animator, Chopping Mall, From Beyond and the recent You’re Next. It will always be a pleasure to see her on screen as she never disappoints.
There is so much to love about this movie; I hope it gets the audience it deserves.
Directed by: Ted Geoghegan
Produced by: Travis Stevens
Written by: Ted Geoghegan
Distributed by: Dark Sky Films
Release date: June 5, 2015
Rating: 8/10
THE NEWEST HORROR COLLECTION IS UNLEASHED – ORDER NOW!
