Clowns always creep me out, 28 August 2015
Ghosthouse is a by-the-numbers haunted house movie. It's got all the standard clichés - a pair of gruesome murders in the house's back-story, the ghost of a little girl in a white dress, a menacing clown doll with evil written all over its face, and a spooky children's nursery rhyme sung over even creepier organ music. Into this mix, throw in a half-dozen or so teens/young adults, a couple of clueless cops, and a psychotic caretaker, and you've got a nice set-up.
My 5/10 rating means that I'm calling Ghosthouse "average" - it has just about an equal number of both good and bad parts. On the good side of things: the little girl and clown are about as creepy as you'll find; the house has a fair bit of good atmosphere; and the repeated nursery rhyme is very effective. On the bad side: every single character, without exception, is as dumb as a box of rocks; the acting is often painful to watch; and the dialogue is ridiculous, making everyone sound even more like an idiot.
Ghosthouse was directed by Umberto Lenzi. I've always found Lenzi to be a fine director and I enjoy most of his work (I'm especially fond of Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Almost Human, and Cannibal Ferox). So, while he is a competent enough director, I think the biggest problem with Ghosthouse is Lenzi had no budget to work with. Despite all his efforts, it just looks cheap.
My 5/10 rating means that I'm calling Ghosthouse "average" - it has just about an equal number of both good and bad parts. On the good side of things: the little girl and clown are about as creepy as you'll find; the house has a fair bit of good atmosphere; and the repeated nursery rhyme is very effective. On the bad side: every single character, without exception, is as dumb as a box of rocks; the acting is often painful to watch; and the dialogue is ridiculous, making everyone sound even more like an idiot.
Ghosthouse was directed by Umberto Lenzi. I've always found Lenzi to be a fine director and I enjoy most of his work (I'm especially fond of Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Almost Human, and Cannibal Ferox). So, while he is a competent enough director, I think the biggest problem with Ghosthouse is Lenzi had no budget to work with. Despite all his efforts, it just looks cheap.
5/10
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