Secrets in the Walls and Rituals: A Movie Review

*here be some spoilers.

Director: Christopher Leitch.

Writers: William Penick and Chris Sey.

Secrets in the Walls is a film starring Jeri Ryan (Dead Lines), Kay Panabaker (Fame), and Peyton List (Bereavement). This is director Christopher Leitch's umpteenth television film and Secrets in the Walls was developed as a television film for the Lifetime Movie Network. If you are unaware, the Lifetime Movie Network and channel produce and distribute entertainment specifically for women and their families. Therefore, male characters are on the periphery and the messages involve issues of gender e.g. single mothers, coping with stress. This leads the film into, understandably, PG-13 territory, with Secrets in the Walls losing some of its edge in favour of a predictable plotline. However, let us put a spin on this review by looking at this myth of improper burial leading to hauntings and cleansing rituals, which are issues raised in this somewhat slowly paced thriller.

To begin, the plot involves a recently divorced or separated middle aged mother trying to restart her life. Apparently, she received a large settlement from her husband, who is never seen on screen. She uses this money to buy a rundown house in a quiet urban neighbourhood to start a secure life with her two daughters, Molly (Peyton List) and Lizzie (Kay Panabaker). However, Rachel should have called a home inspector before buying, as her first choice is a house with a dead body in the basement. This improper internment leads to all sorts of problems involving spooky visits, strange music boxes, night terrors and later, a demonic possession. All of these events occur within a ninety minute run time, in the absence of leading male characters. Well, there is one brother, but he seems to be a vehicle for wish fulfillment, more than anything else. New car anyone?

The core theme within Secrets in the Walls is this recurring issue of unburied bodies leading to catastrophe. Humans have been burying bodies for thousands of years as part of spiritual rituals and to lessen the effects of grief. While bodies will begin to smell bad if left above ground, corpses will not lead to disease, despite common belief. There is almost a taboo in western culture that bodies must be buried, as seen in the film. One body, walled in a crawlspace, leads to much trouble for this family of three. Thus, the Judeo-Christian myth of hauntings caused by trapped spirits is rehashed in film once again to cement this ancient myth, of the necessity of immediate burial for the dead.

Leitch offers a nice little twist in the final act of the film which involves the demonic possession of one of Rachel's daughters, Lizzie. Apparently, some spirits are not happy to move on after being buried. Instead, Greta (Jordan Trovillion), the ghost, shows her malevolent side in order to terrorize viewers for another thirty minutes. This was a welcomed shift in tone for this reviewer.

Finally, one other ritual, outside of burial, makes its way into the film. There is this long scene near the end of the film where the haunted house is cleansed with smoke. A smoke cleansing ritual is enacted by a medium (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) to remove evil spirits from the house's interior. Interestingly, this is a ritual practiced by most First Nations' People, on the westcoast at least. The cleansing of a home with smoke sanctifies a new abode for a couple or family to live together within, in peace and without the intrusion of evil spirits. This ancient ritual also has some success here, with the finale putting mother against daughter through a somewhat surprising violent interaction.

Secrets in the Walls will be released on DVD September 20th and rebroadcast on the Lifetime Movie Network September 24th. This reviewer would recommend this film for families with teenagers, while the hardcore horror fan will be disappointed with the production found here. Sometimes slow in pacing and occasionally predictable, Leitch and writers William Penick with Chris Sey have produced a film that works within the tight and confining guidelines of network television, while removing the edge e.g. tragedy from the story. This film is not for everyone, but a few film fans might find the themes of hauntings and possessions enjoyable within the film's relatively short run time.

Writing/story/plot: 7 (some rehash of tropes and formula, a nice change of pace in the final third).
Characters/believability: 7 (good acting from the central protagonist, Ryan, and from Kay Panabaker).

Overall: 7 out of 10 (basing this review on other made for television films rather than film in general).

More on this film at Lifetime:

Secrets in the Walls at Lifetime

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