Counting Down the Minutes with House of Good and Evil: A Movie Review

Director: David Mun.

Writer: Blu de Golyer.

Cast: Rachel Marie Lewis and Christian Oliver.

The House of Good and Evil is an indie psychological thriller? from director David Mun and writer Blu de Golyer. This title has released on several video-on-demand formats, recently. And, film fans will want to avoid this film like the plague. House of Good and Evil has an unusually long runtime for a film in which nothing really happens. One hundred and ten minutes of uneventful scenarios and situations will drain the energy of many viewers as this film simply spins its wheels. Pacing issues and dark shooting also hamper any enjoyment. This film is another entry into "Worst Indie Film for 2013."

The story, when stripped down, is non-existant. Instead, the film is a character study of a very traumatized young woman, named Maggie (Rachel Marie Lewis). You will see this character brush her teeth, mope around the house and walk about, but nothing really happens in the story department, until very late in the picture. During the climax, a villain is introduced almost out of nowhere to close out the film with a yawn. This viewer even wonders if there was a full script for this feature.

Things heat up with 5 minutes to go.

House of Good and Evil is simply boring. The story (possibly a misnomer) does not introduce any suitable conflict, action nor confrontations. The film is a series of shots focusing on one of two characters, Maggie or Chris (Chris Conley). Yes, that is correct; there are really only two characters in this film, but one is AWOL for much of the film. How can a film have any conflict, or tension if there is only one character? Rodrigo Cortes' Buried (2010) managed to create some tension, in a coffin with one character. Though, the film here is nowhere near as clever as this earlier film.

This film is poor on so many levels. From pacing to story arcs and into directing areas, this film falls flat on its face. And, you the viewer will be subjected to one of the weakest movie outings this year. There really is no pacing. The film's middle portions are like a black hole, in which your apathy and anger are sucked into. Redemption is another hour away! The story arc is missing as Maggie is confronted by nothing outside of four walls. An early scene does introduce some loss and grief. But, this early scene is only slightly developed later on. The protagonist simply combusts very slowly over time. It would have been more compelling to see Maggie overcoming a difficult situation, rather than what is seen here. As well, Mun shoots too many dark scenes. For directors, if you cannot see anything through the camera lens, then the viewer will not be able to either. The night shooting is incompetent and not of value to watchers. This film is shoddy for so many reasons that it is a wonder how the film found distribution at all.

Some distributors need to say no. Also, indie horror or thriller fans should also say no to this one. Mundane, lacking originality, uninspiring and flat, House of Good and Evil is a passable film. Film fans would be better served by seeking out other titles. The one here is truly a drain of time and energy. In the end, House of Good and Evil must be thrown back into the black hole, from which it hopes to steal your precious life force.

Overall: 5 out of 10.


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Posted in: 2013,independent,indie,movie review,psychological,psychological thriller,review,story,synopsis,thriller