There comes a point where you have to throw your hands up and scream like a madman, wondering why indie filmmakers continue to beat a dead horse with “found footage” films. Look, it’s hard to come up with an original idea that will be an instant moneymaker. Totally understandable. But seriously guys, going back to the same well over and over, long after it’s dried up, gets you nowhere. So, what’s the solution? How about taking two worn-out ideas, stick them together and create something that will appeal that way. Because hey, who knows? And that’s what directors Jay Lee and Jim Roof have attempted to do with their found footage torture porn flick, House With 100 Eyes.
Susan (Shannon Malone) and Ed (Jim Roof) are your typical suburban couple, save for the fact that their hobbies include making snuff films. Hoping to give their viewers something memorable and daring to push the envelope, Ed devises a plan for a “triple feature”: a three-way sex/murder sequence! But as these things go, finding stars for their film is one thing, but keeping the production going without mishaps, both on and off camera, can prove difficult.
Now, while ignoring the obvious elephant in the room for the time being, the approach to making a mockumentary about the making of a torture porn film is kind of intriguing. I was expecting a more over-the-top approach to it, but I will say that the straightforward tone with a few comedic elements that Lee and Roof went for with this film opens things up a bit. Putting aside the obvious drama in front of the cameras, we’re also privy to the drama unfolding behind the cameras. Moments such as Ed and Susan forgetting one of their kit bags containing their “equipment” at home, or the couple going out for a drive in Hollywood and “scouting” for talent for their movies, adds a bit more to the film rather than the typical foot-on-the-gas approach of most torture porn films.
In regards to the acting, Shannon Malone and Jim Roof are excellent as the (very odd) couple. Malone plays Susan as the typical Stepford wife type, fawning over Ed while playing into the stereotype of constantly baking and wanting to make her hubby happy. This is the same person who has no qualms about poisoning someone, so it’s all delightfully twisted. Roof’s portrayal of Ed isn’t as likeable of a character, but the chemistry that the two actors have as a couple is nice to see, especially when it comes to that marital bickering. As for the gore, effects artist Patrick Magee pulls off some good-looking effects, including one in-camera trick that’s quite impressive for a low budget affair.
Ultimately, however, the above-mentioned elephant has to be addressed: We’ve seen this film before WAY too many times. Trying to dress up a tired “cameras everywhere” concept with the mid-2000s torture porn fad won’t make this film any more interesting. Not even the tired “warning” at the beginning of the film got me interested. Despite Malone and Roof’s acting, I couldn’t care about them as the protagonists since they were so reprehensible, and we knew what would happen in the end. And the fact that we couldn’t care less about their victims makes it worse. There are also your typical indie film mistakes, such as victims clearly showing that they’re wearing flesh-coloured undies or breathing when they’re supposed to be dead, to the decision to include video and audio distortion that is both annoying and obviously added in post to give it that “look”.
So while I give points for trying to do something different with a tired fad mixed in with another tired fad, House With 100 Eyes unfortunately treads down the same path as the other films in these genres. The strong acting by the two leads and the impressive gore effects can’t overcome the fact that we’ve seen this all before, and that many horror fans have left films like this in the bargain bin. Obviously, there are still fans of these types of films, so if you’re looking for more of that, you can’t go wrong with House With 100 Eyes. It’s a competently-made film, but don’t go into it expecting something new.
