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“Completing Roadside Attractions’ HOUSE was physically draining, which is something a viewer should never have to endure when in theaters. The adaptation of the novel by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker is preachy, whiney and painfully cliché.”

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*Major spoilers follow…

Completing Roadside Attractions’ HOUSE was physically draining, which is something a viewer should never have to endure when in theaters. The adaptation of the novel by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker is preachy, whiney and painfully cliché.

In the film Jack (Reynaldo Rosales) and Stephanie (Heidi Dippold) become stranded at the Wayside Inn where they meet another couple who also had some “car issues”. Immediately the family who own the inn (Bill Moseley and Leslie Easterbrook) get pushy and pull out their creepy cards. The “dinner table scene” is uncomfortable and leads us to believe our hosts are a little off their rockers. After a little altercation, Stephanie storms out of the dining room only to be stopped at the front door by a killer known as “The Tin Man”. The killer eventually gets his message into the house via a tin can:

Welcome To My House.
House Rules:
1. God came into my house and I killed him.
2. I will kill anyone who comes to my house
like I killed God.
3. Bring me one dead body and I might let
rule #2 slide.

Immediately following, weird things begin to happen and our stranded couples are confronted with their own personal demons. This little horror film becomes a tale of redemption and letting go of sin (sigh). While the couples have visions of their tormented past, they also are fighting to stay away from the demonic family who possess the Wayside Inn. The demons are trying to force the couples to kill each other, to accept the rules posted on the tin can.

Cue pale stupid girl, who is attempting to help the couples make the “right decision”. She explains to them that they don’t have to kill each other, they don’t have to follow the rules and can defeat the Tin Man. How can they defeat him? Well, light kills darkness. Did you know that?! Following a few corny twists, our Tin Man is revealed and kills our ghostly girl ally. Then guess what happens? The light explodes killing the dark! Talk about a total cop out, unless your only goal is to tell the audience that light always beats dark, even if it makes no sense. But wait, there’s more! When Jack and Stephanie exit the Wayside Inn after watching someone else defeat the Tin Man, they arrive back at their cars to discover that they’ve been blown up… and that they’re dead. They were in the middle plain the whole time fighting for their lives!

If I hadn’t seen this in REEKER, DEAD END and about 600 other movies it might have been interesting, but the fact of the matter is this was a bland, tasteless, generic horror film only constructed to teach us a lesson about living our lives without sin and making the right decisions. I go to see movies to be entertained – not to be told what do to or how to live my life. Maybe if the message had been covered by with a unique plot and wasn’t slammed in my face I could have handled it… but no, probably not.

Beyond the story that didn’t make a lick of sense, the acting was astoundingly horrid (with the exception of the always fantastic Bill Moseley) and the directing was so safely done that every shot was laid out like a made-for-TV movie. There’s not a single thing that can be recommended in this film and it’s suggested you avoid it at all costs – even on DVD.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Kristen Stewart Doesn’t Want to Make Any Marvel Movies But Does Want to Make a Scary Horror Movie

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Love Lies Bleeding featurette
Pictured: 'Love Lies Bleeding'

If you haven’t yet seen A24 and Saint Maud director Rose Glass’ new movie Love Lies Bleeding, you should definitely get out there and support it in theaters while you can. The critically acclaimed romantic thriller is one of this year’s best movies so far, driven by incredible lead performances from Katy O’Brian and the always compelling Kristen Stewart.

Katy O’Brian just landed a huge role in Mission Impossible 8, but what’s next for Kristen Stewart? Well, for starters, don’t expect to see her in any Marvel movies anytime soon.

Stewart tells the “Not Skinny but Not Fat” podcast, “I will likely never do a Marvel movie … it sounds like a fucking nightmare, actually.” She further explains, “You would have to put so much money and so much trust into one person … and it doesn’t happen.”

And so therefore what ends up happening is this algorithmic, weird experience where you can’t feel personal at all about it. So likely not,” Kristen Stewart continues in her chat with the podcast. “But maybe the world changes, that’s what I’m saying.” She notes, however, “if Greta Gerwig asked me to do a Marvel movie, then I would do it.”

So what DOES Kristen Stewart want to do next? Chatting with Variety on the red carpet just a couple months back, she indicated that she’s far more interested in horror than Marvel!

I’d like to make a good scary movie,” Stewart answered when asked what she’d like to do next. “Like something a little more psychological. Yeah, a really good horror movie.”

Kristen Stewart is of course no stranger to the horror/thriller genres, getting her start as a child actor in David Fincher’s Panic Room. From there, she starred in 2007 horror movie The Messengers, as well as the Twilight movies, ghost story Personal Shopper, and 2018’s Lizzie. And don’t forget 2020’s Underwater or David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future.

The ball is in your court, filmmakers. Let’s make it happen.

Kristen Stewart horror

‘Underwater’

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