I caught this South African movie from the Horror Channel and was curious because it has an interesting premise. A gang kidnaps a rich wealthy woman from her family home to ransom her. Unknown to them, the woman is possessed by a demon that feeds on tormented souls. A real nice person that you would want to invite around to share birthday cake.
Straight from the opening there are signs that things are not what they seem. From a House on Willow Street is one of those spooky houses with an aura of bad and you can just sense it isn’t somewhere to discuss the exciting world of dentist conventions.
The first moment we see Katherine (demon), I thought have any of you noticed her eyes? You can clearly see she isn’t exactly normal and has some kind of mutation, and is something a little more than human. However, the film does hold your attention.
The tension builds at a steady pace and the score is used nicely in various parts to emphasise a shock or a moment. I feel the film makers looked at the old school way of doing things to achieve this, which definitely comes through the movie. It’s supported by the actors portraying a sense of dread and unease surrounding the woman they kidnapped. We see the cast slowly processing and reluctant to admit something very wrong is unfolding since they kidnapped Katherine from Willow Street.
The kidnappers see apparitions and memories of past traumatic events, which unhinge their nerves, I’d imagine they probably ordered express delivery of some poop catching pants to help cope with this problem. The actors do a good job in supporting the atmosphere, conveying their fear and struggle to comprehend what is happening. Hazel (gang leader) played by Sharni Vinson, is the person I felt sensed the evil threat acutely more than her gang members, but considering her earlier conversation in the makeshift cell room with Katherine (demon), then it’s not surprising.
When it’s revealed just who, what, how, and why Katherine is possessed, and the past history concerning her, then it really does amp everything up another level. The demon has the power to bring your worst nightmares to life, so all of those insecurities, guilt, and flaws are brought back to haunt and terrorise you, literally.
After this revelation, the movie falls off a little in my opinion. It’s not a terrible film, I just felt after the suspense and veil were lifted, From a House on Willow Street lapses into standard action scenes.
I think the story and general outline are fine. As mentioned, the cast portray their feelings and emotions very well. It didn’t feel rushed, nor did it feel like the director and producer had gone for an afternoon nap leaving the cast do some freestyle emoting. I purposefully sat down to watch the film because the premise was an interesting one.
So, wrapping up final thoughts.
The positives:
Tension and atmosphere.
Acting: Carlyn Burchell playing Katherine (demon) is very good and Sharni Vinson as Hazel (gang leader) is also strong. I felt both actors really came across well in their roles.
The score isn’t bad.
Story/idea: As stressed, I liked the premise and overall idea.
Negatives: I guess, once the first two acts are over, it does drop down and loses something.
Verdict: Not a bad or terrible movie, I’ve seen far worse. Worth a watch.
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