The biggest mistake Dream House made was revealing its one true twist in the previews. That’s the only thing that would have been halfway surprising in this “House of Horror” movie and it is ruined before you ever even get to the theater. It has a story that could have easily been a made-for-TV movie and probably has been actually. Everything seems so obvious and feels tedious. You are left sitting there waiting for the characters to catch up to what you already know and expect. And it is hard to believe Jim Sheridan, director of Brothers, In America, and My Left Foot, actually chose to do this. Thank goodness for the A-list cast and their performances. They are probably the only reason Dream House made it in to cinemas and I know they are the only reason that I could put up with this movie.
Daniel Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful publisher who leaves his job and moves his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and their two daughters out of the big city and in to a nice house in a quiet New England town. At first, the house seems like a dream come true, but it soon turns in to a living nightmare. Once the family begins their new life and start to get settled in, they find out about a gruesome murder that occurred at their new home 5 years ago.
A mother and her two kids were shot and killed, and everyone around town believes it was the father who pulled the trigger. He was the only one who survived and no one has seen him since. The only person who might can give Will and Libby some answers is their neighbor Ann Patterson (Naomi Watts), who was close with the family but seems to be hiding something as well. The whole premise centers around finding the murderer and if he really did it. And if he didn’t then who did? Dream House should have been an actual mystery, but Sheridan let that opportunity slip away. If you have seen any of the trailers for this movie then you already know who Craig’s character is and who he is searching for. So the only real question is if he actually did the crime and that can easily be answered too.
I will say the movie does start out well and it gets you interested in how all of this could unfold. The problem is that fascination dies within about 30 minutes. And like I said before, Craig and Weisz give it all they got with some terrific performances. Unfortunately, it just isn’t enough to make it a watchable movie, much less an enjoyable scary movie. Dream House could have been a chilling, intelligent thriller. It had all the ingredients to be one, but at some point that version was thrown out the window and we were left with this one. What a shame.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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