Directed by DJ Caruso
Written by Wentworth Miller
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Lucas Till, Duncan Joiner and Gerald McRaney
After venturing to the country to start fresh and anew, a couple and their young son find themselves beset by frightening paranormal experiences in their new home. All of this seems to stem from the discovery of a locked room in the attic and the dark secrets it holds within.
Cut and paste for inumerous different paranormal thriller films.
Disappointments Room is asking for trouble from its mere title and the end result unfortunately lives up to it. There’s simply not much to offer here to differentiate it from the vast pantheon of haunted house films. Its main claim to fame is that Kate Beckinsale signed on and the filmmakers hold some semblance of pedigree (the director of Salton Sea, Disturbia and the latest xXx film, the writer is an actor from Prison Break and also portrays Leonard Snart/Captain Cold on DC’s The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow series).
This triple threat of talent brings little to the table. The story is derivative and scare free and the mix-it-up subplot of a young contractor making moves on Kate goes nowhere. I will admit that there are some interesting (untapped) ideas involving the concept of the spirit of a lonely, unwanted child and there are a few inspired scenes involving a feral dog.
Short review, yes, because there’s not much to say about this. The cast gives it a good go and Mel Raido brings a nice Sam Rockwell-lite charm to the proceeding but there’s just nothing to go on. It’s a slow, rather boring film without even much in the way of supernatural going-ons. Given some of the talent involved, it should/could have been more so there’s just really not much to recommend here.
A few decent ideas and performances, but otherwise a pass.
1.5/5 close minded ice cream purveyors
(yup)
Splatter Factor: 1/5 – Not really much to be had here. There’s a decent (if over edited) dog attack and a couple of severed fingers but gorehounds will have nothing to see here. Move along. Waste of an R rating.
The Collective Speaks:
There exist unwanted and discarded souls in this world. From the pits of the Seven Circles to the cruel whims of Earthbound parents. In a case such as this, it extends to the world of film as well. We were not impressed with this instance as we found no reason to extend our tendrils into the minds of the beset individuals herein. We found the spirits to be rather lazy and would rather seek our humanly entertainment via another venue.
Author Brad Acevedo 