House of Shadows is a flick made in Britain and was released in the Fall of 2020. Based on the cover of the DVD, one could assume that the picture was taken from a traditional english mansion in the south of Spain, which is a misconception because the majority of the movie is actually set in Spain.
The movie starts with Sarah (Elena Delia), a young British lady who has been summoned by a lawyer (Sam Newman) for a meeting but does not understand the context behind it. The lawyer says that he called Sarah to help settle the estate of her deceased mother. Sarah remarks saying that the process should not take long since, according to her, her mother had nothing. The lawyer reveals to her that this information is not correct and proceeds to give Sarah a folder with details regarding her inheritance along with the necessary forms that need to be signed.
While its clear that the mother has left more than just this as an inheritance but it is never explained what, the narrative does make clear when it cuts to spain that one of them is indeed a sizable, single level residential structure.
As Sarah and her partner Jared (Luke Bailey) step out of the car, they are welcomed by a place that appears to be loving rather than creepy, further accentuated by Anna (Harriet Madeley) waiting to show them around the house. It seems she was expecting them!
Before Anna could leave, Anna informs them she resides in the neighboring property a short distance up the road. She gestures to them to let her know if anything is needed.
The next day, Anna seems eager to have a private word with Sarah in which she expresses her want of assistance in cleaning certain parts of the house along with help in getting rid of reminiscences of the past. She particularly stresses over getting a promise from Sarah which makes the situation feel a bit uncomfortable and weird. It certainly sets the tone for the strange events to come. Once Jarad decides to step out and look for Anna, he realizes that there are actually no other houses nearby.
When Sarah gets a call from her deceased sister Meghan, things become bizarre, to say the least. This call makes Sarah extremely uncomfortable which makes her wish to leave the house. Jared is very accommodating and helps Sarah in whatever way is best for her, but ultimately, Sarah stays.
Things continue to grow worse, the couple starts dealing with more supernatural activities and Sarah starts noticing phantoms in the house.
House of Shadows is certainly more intriguing than the typical haunted house movie. The house where Sarah’s inheritance is set in is not dark and gloomy like in other haunted locations, instead, it is light instead spacious.
The film may not have the largest cast, but the limited characters don’t hinder the performance, Delia and Bailey are absolutely killer as Sarah and Jared, the young couple desperately trying to escape the UK, only to be unsettled by the paranormal.
Jared is not an alpha male this is clear from the start. He is a kind gentleman who always seems relaxed to let his girlfriend take control. This makes him look like a background character in a story but it also helps set House of Shadows apart from other run-of-the-mill horror films, where there is always one or two guys who want to get things done their own way. I would, however, have liked it if he could show a little more animation here and there, especially at the moment where he and Sarah are rudely awoken to loud knocks at the door in the middle of the night. When Sarah goes to check it out instead of him so softly he is cowering behind the window. That does not sit well with me, but hey, perhaps that’s just how society is shaping up to be. If that is the case, House of Shadows might be a movie that is ahead of its time.
The film, House of Shadows, unfortunately, fails to deliver the thrill and excitement it promises, skipping through time and possessing characters, along with a soul-stealing demon gets increasingly worse. One of Sarah’s scenes even shows her in a ridiculous sword fight with the demon. Did the scriptwriter simply give up and run out of ideas? Rather than a demon and swordplay, the basic premise would have been far more adequate. Even without the excessive added peculiarities, oversight would still allow House of Shadows to be a far better film.
While House of Shadows offers some commendable elements that deserve a pat on the back, I cannot classify the film as great. Seemingly, it could have been one because all the right initial ingredients are present, but the extra spices sabotage the recipe, ruining the cake. All we needed was a bit more attention to the film’s details. The ending, similar to almost every other part of the film, suggests a careless approach to the entire project. As the credits roll, I am presented with the name The House Beyond Time shown in the middle of the screen as if it were the working title. For an indie movie, this is a very bad error to make.
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