It isn't often at all that a director will treat his audience to the actual making of a haunted house. I should say that this film is not for the faint of heart, and it is not for any viewer who has any problem at all with perversity of any kind. Perverse a'plenty, folks! So, we have a decrepit stone Georgian mansion, a family of weirdos, and a girl who doesn't know head from tails. This is a classic Gothic film, Mystery, and, yes, Slasher all rolled into one. No jump scares, though, which usually makes or breaks a film for me, though I will still watch The Innkeepers and a few others, jump scares and all. Ever really wonder what the "prequel" of a haunted house is? This film will give you some idea.

Callum (Simon Quarterman) and January (Amy Manson) vacation in Brazil until they kiss an automobile with their scooter. Callum gets a scratch while January loses her memory and the the loss of her legs. They return to her childhood manor where she can't remember any of the creepy people or more importantly why she left in the first place. Things become weird as they always do in this type of film.I liked the name January, named for the god Janus who looks both to the past and future. Very clever. The problem is that this genre has been so overdone, there is nothing else clever that they bring to the production. I was bored for most of the film waiting for the scary secrets to reveal themselves, not even interested in the clues...which were mostly head fakes, as the characters were miserably portrayed and lacked depth.The DVD cover of January with a gun was a bit of a plot spoiler as that scene doesn't come to late in the film. It was a film I have felt I have seen before a half dozen times and didn't enjoy it then.Guide: F-word (spoken and written) rape. No nudity.

ESTRANGED is a low budget British horror film that screams derivative at every step. The film's protagonist is a young woman named January who is crippled in an accident abroad, an accident which leaves her wheelchair bound and without a memory. She returns to her ancestral home in the UK, but soon becomes convinced that her family members are out to get her. Is she going mad, or is there really a sinister plot at work? It's not hard to guess the outcome of this film because the same subject matter has been done to death elsewhere. Although the plot is slightly different, ESTRANGED seems to me to be a huge copy of the excellent French thriller FRONTIERS, especially in the format, the climax, the look and actions of the main girl, etc. Except where FRONTIERS excelled, ESTRANGED simply bores.It's one of those films that's saddled with a dullish protagonist who you don't even like, let alone care about. Actress Amy Manson can do nothing for her character. The rest of the cast don't get much of a look in, particularly poor James Cosmo, who is such a fine, gruff actor but who is sorely wasted here. I did like Craig Conway, cast against type as the butler, as he's always good fun. Sure, there are a few strong and/or edgy moments contained in this, but the whole greyed-out look makes it a depressing watch and CGI gore effects are always a disappointment for me too unless they're done very realistically, which they aren't here.

I only started to watch this for Amy Manson (Being Human),and was not expecting much. This is a cerebral thriller, although some scenes were too sadistic for my taste. The characters are well cast and take "dysfunctional family" to a whole new level. I found it a bit confusing once secrets were revealed and may watch it again (granted, I was tired). This is worth your time- don't watch if depressed- it is very dark. Manson exhibits incredible on-screen,smoldering intensity which makes her characters strong and intense. This one is not exception. I love movies with dark secrets and strong female protagonists (despite all she endures, her strength comes through).