Directed by Gil Kenan. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (based on the 1982 movie). Starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jane Adams, Jared Harris, Nicholas Braun, and the so cute Kennedi Clements.
Plot: a family moves into a house built on a cemetery and surprise! it’s haunted.
An out of work father, gets his family into a really nice house for not too much money. But there’s always a catch isn’t there? And just like the original movie it’s the whole, they moved the headstones, but not the bodies thing. A lot of spooky shit starts happening, the son finds an old box of ugly clown dolls that end up attacking him, the older sister is drug into mud by corpses, and they youngest daughter, Madison (Clements) talks to the TV and then vanishes within her own closet.
There’s no Tangina in this film, which is lacking, but Jane Adams and Jared Harris do a really nice job as a paranormal investigator couple trying to help the Bowen family. They are pretty funny themselves. Honestly, we were surprised we liked it as much as we did because we got roped in by the naysayers. This one wasn’t as good as the original as a whole, but it probably was funnier.
There was a perfect cast, terrific specials, and some very tense moments. It also had good Freddy Claws and an enjoyable ending. But there were some problems. And most of them were with the characters. The wife was a bitch, the oldest daughter was a bitch and the son was a bit of a bitch, too. And oh, the worms! I hate the worms!! Why must they do that to me?
All in all though, we really liked the movie. As I said, it wasn’t as good as the original, but it was good. You should definitely give it a shot. It’s worth it.
My score: 75. DJ’s score: 69.
