House of Purgatory focuses on four high school students searching for a legendary haunted house rumored to refund your entry fee if you survive all five levels. In an unused area, four friends encounter the legendary house but are immediately greeted by a skeleton-faced ticket seller who informs them all fees are free on Halloween. Grateful for the offer, they willingly enter the house, expecting some innocent fun. As they progress deeper inside the house, the decor looks more sinister and their surroundings feel more tangible. Further into the story, every teen has to confront their deepest fears and secrets and their realization deepens when they learn the true name of the haunted house. Their nightmare does not end there.
Justin’s Notes I have grown increasingly frustrated with horror films nowadays, mostly due to the overused tropes that could have otherwise served as great content. I believe House of Purgatory is a great film not for its originality but rather the execution of it which is different from other films.
In House of Purgatory where the perverseness coupled together with superb angles resulted in chills. Shaky camera works are a blight on many horror pieces, and moving sculptures in independent cinema. But, in the case of House of Purgatory, the like of Wes Craven’s power and respect radiated through the film. Apart from this great power, the cinematography perspired in one aspect. The use of darkness in night scenes and soft-lit scenes dampened the choice of lighting. The drama reached its climax where shadows filled with noise and grains became too much to bear. There’s only so much a person can take before succumbing to annoyance.
As K claimed before, all noise and low-light problems have been cleverly hidden behind one specific viewing. The end product is majestic when considering the edits made to the film. It is so perfectly produced and edited that there is no chance to hate it. A point can easily be given for this piece and K won’t complain again. In a nutshell, a 5/5 rating can easily be achieved for this film.
However, the audio department is superb. The soundtrack for House of Purgatory is greatly composed and uses chilling sound effects and eerie music to raise the tension of the scenes perfectly. Normally, I am never moved by jump scares in movies, but this one cleverly used sound combined with disturbing scenes, fantastic acting, and props and made me feel a sense of dread several times throughout the film. The voices of the actors are clear throughout the film and the sound was cleaned so perfectly that you do not get any of the static or echo effects most so-called horror films have.
House of Purgatory has a stellar collection of mid-level television stars in its primary roles. Most actors in the film had a number of previous television and film projects under their names, either as key supporting characters such as Brian Krause who portrayed Leo the Whitelighter in the Charmed TV series, or as prolific character actors like Torey Michael Adkins. The film itself is well done with great performances and all of them play their characters in a very realistic way that you can truly empathize with them in their dreadful situation.
House of Purgatory is without a doubt, the best independent horror film I have ever seen. This film departs from the new school way of doing things and shies away from the exaggeration of CGI effects and serves practical effects that appear to be made by Dapper Cadaver prop shop, the go to prop shop for B-grade Hollywood horror films. The creepy score, the dim lighting and practical effects combined with phenomenal acting make this movie a true gem.
The indie documentary stands out from the rest, as it does not revolve around horror movie clichés nor does it lack suspense which results in loss of interest for viewers. I feel like the American film industry should learn from this documentary. This is something that would put the House of Purgatory on the map. If you’re a fan of horror documentaries, then this is definitely for you. Not only will it be enjoyable, but affordable as well. For a mere seventy-five minutes, you get what you pay for in House of Purgatory.
Please note that I shall be waiting patiently for what Christensen, Tyler has in store next and for now feel free to purchase the film on video using Amazon or iTunes. If you haven’t already done so, House of Purgatory is a haunting masterpiece that deserves your attention.
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