Around this time of the year, Halloween haunts begin to pop up all around the country. For those who do not know, they are basically manmade haunted houses/mazes that have actors dressed up as monsters who jump out and spook attendees. They’re very popular attractions in October and are great fun, especially with friends. These haunts are usually harmless and no one gets hurt, but some, however, take things a little too far. Some haunts, known as “extreme haunts,” will get physical with guests. There are many examples of these attractions that can been seen on YouTube, but be warned, they are not for the faint of heart. I’ve known about these kind of haunts for a while, but I’ve never been to one of them (and never will). So for the longest time, I always thought that these extreme haunts would be an excellent premise for a horror movie. Luckily, my wishes were answered in the 2014 found footage horror film, The Houses October Built.
Story
The film follows a group of five life long friends, filming a documentary on Halloween haunts, while also trying to find the most extreme haunt. However, as their search continues, strange things start happening to the group. They start to be followed and stalked by a group of seemingly haunt workers in costume. Including a freaky porcelain doll lady, who I absolutely love the design for. As the story progresses, a question remains among the group, “Is this still a part of a haunt? Or are we actually in danger?”
First off, I absolutely adore this premise. It’s so unique and interesting and as far as I know, before this movie’s release, there hasn’t been a film that is centered around Halloween haunts. So kudos to the filmmakers for doing something original and making it really interesting as well. Secondly, I love how the film always kept me guessing. When the group is interviewing different people working at the haunts, you, along with the characters, learn some questionable things about these attractions. So when strange things start happening to the group, I kept thinking “This is still a part of the haunt . . . right?” Lastly, the haunts featured in the film are super cool, yet scary. The best part is that some of the haunts featured in the film are actually real life haunts that you can visit! Thankfully, they aren’t considered to be the extreme haunts like mentioned before, so I, and maybe some of you out there, may feel more comfortable visiting these attractions.
Characters
I felt that the personalities of the characters were a bit generic. The characters in the main cast are:
- Brandy. The person who interviews all of the haunt workers and the only female of the group.
- Mikey. A party animal and the lovable goofball of the group.
- Zack. Brandy’s boyfriend and is sort of the leader of the group.
- Jeff. The camera man of the documentary they are shooting.
- Bobby. Sometimes the voice of reason in the group besides Brandy. Also the real life director of this film.
I don’t think these characters are terrible; for the most part they get the job done are a well acted. I just feel for a movie that has such an engaging premise as this, this could have been something done a little better. But one thing that I do love about all of these characters is how their relationships with each other makes them feel like real friends. Which makes sense, since the real life actors are actually close friends and some of the scenes, when they are just having a conversation, aren’t scripted. Many of the interviews with people working at the haunts are actually not actors but real people. Despite the fact that the events in this movie are fictional, it is so well grounded in reality that if you went into this film completely blind, you’d have no idea if this was a real documentary or not.
Scare Factor
At times, The Houses October Built can be pretty creepy, but I wouldn’t say the overall film is downright terrifying. But I can say that the porcelain doll lady that I mentioned earlier does unnerve me a whole lot. The ending of the film has to be the scariest moment, however. Mostly because it has an abrupt ending that leaves the audience guessing what happens next. To some, this may be annoying, but I loved it because it definitely had be wondering what happened next.
Final Thoughts
The Houses October Built is a great horror film that blurs the line between reality and fiction. This is a movie that is so grounded in the real world, with an abundance of improvised dialogue and genuine reactions from the cast, that it will make audiences guess if this is a real documentary or not. Despite the characters’ individual personalities being nothing special, their relationships with each other are so genuine that you can’t help but to like them. But most importantly, this movie just oozes the spirt of Halloween. Overall, I think horror fans should give this film a watch. The Houses October Built is available on Hulu and DVD.
Ramblings and Reviews 