Horror, as defined by Webster's, is a very strong feeling of fear, dread, and shock. When one enters into a viewing of the latest horror production their hope is to be served up all three. Sadly most times one if not all of those feelings are missing. 'The Perfect House' offers no exception to that rule. Fear is totally absent, dread is only present as one counts the minutes till the end, and shock is dished out in predictable gory moments. Very disappointing indeed.
We are brought to the perfect house via a neighborly dinner party that takes a turn for the worse. This is an anthology so we are shown a historic tour through this homes evil ways. There is mayhem in a storm cellar, caged victims for the torture, and that original dinner parties ultimate ending.We are led on this journey by a sexy real estate agent (Monique Parent) and her potential buyers.
There is lots of gore to go around but in a market that has seen the likes of mainstream torture porn like the 'Hostel' and 'Saw' franchises this low budget 2012 entry pales in comparison. Truthfully there are many low budget gorefests that simply get it much more right than this. Some of the acting is well done especially by 'Sleepaway Camp' stars Felissa Rose as one terrorized Mother and Jonathan Tiersten in serial killer mode. Directors Kris Hulbert and Randy Kent certainly show a great love for the genre of terror as mutilation but the lack of true fright just can't save the show.
In the horror film market today fear is to frequently confused with all things disgusting or disturbing. Gore is not fear. Dissonance is not fear. Chaos is not fear. Making the audience uncomfortable is fine but none of that beats a good scare. The theater seat is painful enough. What we horror fans long for is a terrifying close call with what truly awaits us in the dark.
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