Stormhouse (EIFF)
The British army has captured a supernatural entity and managed to secure it in a caged environment in a secret location, they call in a government agent consultant from the US named Hayley Sands (Katie Flynn) who has been known to communicate with the other side so they can understand it better; only there are restrictions as to what the army want her to figure out and report back. Of course, as soon as she arrives everything sort of goes haywire.
Stormhouse had a great opportunity to be a fantastic film but it fell short on several levels.
First, it kept swapping its tone on whether it wanted to be a ‘serious’ ghost film or one that has turns almost comical.
Secondly, the usage of CCTV footage and the claim that it is ‘based on real events’ doesn’t add anything to the film, I feel that, if you’re not going to do it properly (like Blair Witch, or to even reference a film in this very festival; Troll Hunter) then don’t bother – it detracts from the film and wastes time that could have been use more effectively.
Third, it doesn’t use the characters to their potential which is a shame because it could have been utilised better as the relationships between everyone is one of the stronger elements of the film
After a while it simply just… gets boring, which is not what you want from a horror movie when an evil supernatural being is running rampage – HOW CAN THAT BE BORING?
It has an interesting ending, and by the time it came to it I felt a bit let-down that the middle and main section of the film wasn’t as strong. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike Stormhouse, it was decent enough, as well as liking the relationship between the characters and the set and location were extremely well done, but didn’t live up to my expectations, let me say – you’re better off watching Ghostwatch.