Indie
[Review] ‘Ladies of the House’ Rosie The Riveter Eat Your Heart Out
I have to admit that I’m still not entirely sure of my feelings on Ladies of the House. I’m using this review opportunity as a way to work through the film as a discussion. The story breaks down like this: 2 dude-bros, Jacob (Gabriel Horn) and Derek (Samrat Chakrabarti), take Jacob’s Lenny-esque brother Kai (RJ Hanson) to the most deserted looking strip club I’ve ever seen for his birthday. After Kai takes a liking to one of the ladies, Ginger (Belladonna), the boys decide to follow her home to party. Booze and games quickly turn violent when Derek dares Kai and Ginger to spend 15 minutes in heaven, telling Kai he can do whatever he wants. This goes about as well as you’d expect and now the boys realize they are trapped in the house by Ginger’s work “family”.
My biggest issue with Ladies of the House is the overt almost cartoonish misogyny that comes from our lead male characters, particularly Derek. Oh sure, misogyny is nothing new in horror and I usually ignore most of it but for me these dudes felt like they came straight from Eli Roth’s Tips and Tricks For Character Writing. Though, my feelings on Eli Roth will have to be saved for another day. Of course, these guys are supposed to be terrible in the same vein as I Spit on Your Grave, albeit toned down versions of them but still we are supposed to hate them. So what about the ladies of this house?
Well, to start they are strippers which aren’t the greatest of female professions to choose from but it does serve as a great way to get unsuspecting men into your lair. After Jacob, Kai, and Derek become trapped in the house we flip focus to Getty, Crystal, and Michelle the other occupants of the house and their search for the men who have invaded their home. Getty, played by Melodie Sisk and dawning her best Rosie the Riveter outfit, is the brash muscle of this trio and has some pretty great moments throughout, making her my favorite character in this cavalcade of unfavorable people. These women are not as they seem and there’s a great reason for not contacting the police, which I won’t spoil, allowing these ladies to have full control over their home and it’s unwanted occupants.
At its core Ladies of the House is a grindhouse romp with the slick polished look of a typical modern horror flick. I would have liked to see this set in 70s or 80s, maybe I would have been more on board with the strange outfits, cute or not, and inherently bad male characters. That being said, writing all of this out has made me realize I did like the film more than I thought I did initially. Wildman and Walford have their heads and hearts in the right place and can only get better from here. A solid first effort even if it wasn’t my cup of tea to start with.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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