Haunted house films have seemingly been a hit or miss thing with me. It took a while before I grew to like William Malone’s The House On Haunted Hill, for example. I’m not sure why, but chalk it up to my younger self having different opinions. Of course, there are many other haunted house films that have either clicked or clunked with me. Now we have Aaron and Austin Keeling’s The House On Pine Street, which has made the festival rounds throughout this year to positive reviews, and will finally be making its LA Premiere in a couple of weeks. Those reviews don’t lie.

After a recent mental breakdown, Jennifer Branagan (Emily Goss) hesitantly returns to her Kansas hometown, seven month pregnant. Attempting to regain control of her life, Jennifer’s troubles have included her dealing with pregnancy troubles, the struggling relationship with her husband, Luke (Taylor Bottles), and her control freak of a mother, Meredith (Cathy Barnett). Things appear to look up when Jennifer and Luke move into a new rental house (arranged by mom, of course). Things however turn quickly when Jennifer starts experiencing weird happenings in the house. With no one believing her, Jennifer starts to question whether she’s going crazy, or if something supernatural is in the house.

There’s always something really unnerving about being alone in a house and your mind starts playing with you. I imagine that it’s worse if people dismiss you, or end up blaming you for making it up. That’s what Jennifer goes through with this film. From seeing “people” in the bathroom or hearing footsteps from the floor above, to having an incident with her friend Lauren’s (Natalie Pellegrini) toddler that makes Jennifer look like more of a threat than victim, it all boils down to creating sympathy for Jennifer. I give a lot of credit to Emily Goss for pulling this all off with Jennifer, not unlike what Essie Davis did in The Babadook. It’s obvious that Jennifer has been through a lot, and is still dealing with crap. Not only does she have to deal with no one believing her about the house, but it turns out that she’s not at all thrilled to be having the baby, even though that’s all anyone wants to talk about. It’s that alienation and isolation on multiple levels that repeatedly hits the right button for sympathizing with a character. What makes it even more fascinating is that you yourself start to question her sanity. Goss really nails all of this, makes it feel incredibly genuine, and communicates it as such to the audience.

The acting by Goss is one part of the scare equation. The Keeling Brothers bring the other part through the camera, direction and effects. There’s very little use of CGI in The House On Pine Street (smart move), and what digital effects there are in the film are used to enhance what’s already there. Of course, you don’t need CGI when it comes to kids in horror films. They’re plenty creepy enough. Whether it’s the neighbour’s mute twins, Lucy and Claire, or Lauren’s toddler, Brad, the Keeling Brothers are able to use them to generate that disturbed feeling many of us feel when we’re around kids. The cinematography is also a big one. Slow but deliberate movements maximize the tension, while creating an atmosphere that builds that tension. The framing of the actors in the scene draw you into the film’s world, making it seem like you’re right there to experience the happenings. I also love it when directors get right the “rollercoaster” of building that energy, releasing it, and then immediately hitting the audience again for a quick bump. It’s not something you want to go for all the time, but used sparingly, it’s very effective.

The House On Pine Street does have a few shortcomings. Despite the excellent framework of the story, it still boils down to the familiar “family moves into haunted house” horror cliché, which doesn’t do much different than what horror fans have seen for years, tweaks aside. Also, the film’s script felt like a case of too many people had worked on it. From a runtime that clocks in at almost two hours, to unnecessary characters like the psychic friend of Jennifer’s, or even some actions by characters, the film teeters a bit. It’s rare that a film with multiple writers turns out well, and The House On Pine Street is really an exception, especially when you factor in its origins and its shooting schedule of 19 days.

Script problems aside, The House On Pine Street definitely deserves the praise that it’s gotten. Wonderful acting by Goss and a delightfully disturbing atmosphere really make this film one of the best indie fare to be seen this year. The tension play and mood, combined with Jennifer’s multi-layered predicament keeps you glued to the screen. Definitely one that fans of haunted house fare, as well as those of indie films, should check out.