Victor Salva is up to his old tricks in DARK HOUSE, another predictable horror yarn featuring buff young men who invariably disrobe at some point for the role. I'm surprised that Salva still manages to find work in Hollywood, not because of his private indiscretions (to put it mildly), but because his films are just so pitiful. CLOWNHOUSE, the two JEEPERS CREEPERS flicks, they've all been below par and DARK HOUSE is no exception.The house of the title is an ancestral home sought out by a group of faceless teenage types without an ounce of charisma between them. The house has some magical properties including the ability to move at will, but other than that there's little of interest here, apart from the requisite bloodshed. No scares, no atmosphere, just monotony. Lesley-Anne Down has a minor part and there's a nicely complex turn from SAW's Tobin Bell, but otherwise DARK HOUSE is a mess and nothing you've not seen before.

Ever since his early childhood, Nick Di Santo has been drawing images of a certain house and can only think that it has something to do with his family history and the location of his father, who he's been searching for. When Nick gets information on the possible location of this mysterious house, he sets off to see if he can find it. Nick also has the special ability to see how people will meet their deaths by mere touch. After almost crashing off the road, Nick meets three State ordinance workers who give him information regarding the house and decide to help him find it. When they do find the house they are warned off by a mysterious stranger named Seth advising Nick to stay away. Of course, Nick doesn't do this and soon he and his friends are fighting for their lives.At first glance, Dark House seems to be a badly filmed, badly acted B Movie. After actually watching it, however, I'm happy to report that it isn't any of these. On saying that, though, it's obviously not the best movie out there, but at the same time it's definitely not the worst either.The plot and the story of the movie isn't actually that bad but it just falls apart a wee bit with some inconsistencies at the end which is a bit of a pity because if it had a stronger ending it could have been a much better film. Seems to be a bit of a thing with the director, because Jeepers Creepers started off well but got a bit ridiculous for the last third.Dark House is basically a Heaven vs Hell movie which saved it for me a wee bit because I do enjoy the Angel vs Demon mythology. Some of the scenes - especially ones that include the Axemen - are filmed pretty well, bringing a good level of tension to them and the atmosphere that is created throughout these scenes is also nicely done.It's not a slow going film by any means either, but it definitely lacks a certain something to make it a much more gripping film to enjoy.Overall, Dark House is a decent film but just don't expect too much.

All those title changes, how is one supposed to keep track of them? I did watch this movie at a Festival and it was called "Dark House". You can still find it with that title here, but apparently it changed. Maybe the buzz was not so good and they decided to change it to get a fresh clean sheet/start? Who really knows? And who really knows what's up with horror movies starting off strong and getting weaker by the minute ... like this one right here.It's a shame, because the mood this creates at the beginning suggests it would (and could) be stronger than it actually is. But it falls (and fails thereby) into clichés and ridiculous twists, that will leave your head spinning faster than Linda Blairs head in the Exorcist (not in a good way obviously).

... And then, act 3 sinks the ship. 'Dark House' is one of "those" horror films. If you're a die hard horror movie fan you know what I'm going on about. 'Dark House' is the kind of flick that gets all your horror juices flowing with sinister, intriguing plot, dark foreshadowing and characters you want to see solve the mystery and survive at the end. It's got a young male protagonist us guys can relate to whose shadowy past seems like it'd be cool to experience and get to the bottom of along with his "dark gift". There's a young female lead who meets the guy of her dreams only to realize there's much more to his past than she expected. And there's a well crafted mystery involving an inherited house that has somehow moved from its original location. Tobin Bell comes in as a well acted, intimidating individual who issues a warning one cannot ignore. Essentially, by the end of the second act an amazing set up has been put into place and most horror fans will be popping popcorn in anticipation of the last thirty or so minutes till the credits roll. Unfortunately, act three is where 'Dark House' makes its reveal. And, like so many other pieces of horror fiction with great potential for originality, the reveal foists upon the viewer such a worn plot device that at first one can hardly believe the film is actually going "there". I personally wanted to praise this film, heck I did for the first two thirds. But, in the end 'Dark House' disappoints. All "logic" (as logical as horror films can be) is disposed of in exchange for a demand that we horror viewers put our mostly deep imaginations on screen saver mode and swallow the absolutely absurd conclusion. Was the ruination of this film's ending a result of writer's block? Was it due to funding issues or a tight shooting schedule? We may never know. Overall, what a shame because 'Dark House' had amazing potential. Watch at your risk. If you're a fan horror from the seventies on, the ending will disappoint you even though you'll enjoy most of the journey to reach it.