Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Haunted’

Written by Scott Edwards

While it should go without saying that when a family member is in need, you should help them without question, it is something that can be put to the test from time to time. Needing someone to watch the kids while you go out or needing someone to feed the pets while you leave town is not something that can be left to just anyone, but it might not be something that you should drop everything for. I am a firm believer in family and doing things that need to be done to help, but sometimes you can find yourself being used because you cannot say no. If you are one that likes to use your family for no other reason than trying to save money, you need to put an end to it, since you never know when the family will cut you off without notice.
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Getting a frantic call from his newly widowed sister, Max will do anything to help her out in her time of need, but when arriving at her new house, he is a little more hesitant since she needs him to take care of the cats while she and her son take a little holiday. Not even liking cats, Max goes along with it, since he really did like her husband and could come to him for advice when he got stuck with writer’s block. But there is someone else in the house with them as Danny draws a picture of his mother and uncle fighting at the dinner table, and this picture features an unseen person standing behind Max, who looks to have something more sinister in mind for the outsider as the days move on.

Watching the house for the first week goes off without a hitch for the middle-aged writer, but one night all of that changes. Hearing a knock at the front door with nobody there, Max tries to dismiss it as kids playing a prank on him, but it continues to happen and the third time he hears the knocks, he also finds that the keys from the door are not where he left them. Thinking this is strange, he tries to find out if there is someone else in the house and the upstairs seems to be the perfect spot for someone to hide out. Using his phone for light as the lights on that floor don’t seem to work, Max finds no evidence of an outsider lurking around in the house, but there is something extremely spooky going on.

As the events at night start to get stranger, Max comes face to face with a couple of spirits that are showing him things that he does not want to see. But those are not the ones that he really fears as a horned individual is starting to gain power in the house. Needing to find some way to get some sleep in the house, Max gets his best friend Chris to come and stay for a couple of nights in the house to make sure that he is not losing his mind. Agreeing to stay with his friend, mainly to get out of his mother’s house for a few days, Chris sees that there is something strange happening as well and will do anything to help his friend. Getting the number of a professor who deals with supernatural events, Max is able to convince him to come and check out the house, but it may be too late as the demon hidden within the walls may not want any of its new targets to leave ever again.

This is the perfect movie to watch when you are thinking back to basics for a haunted house movie as there seems to be no CGI at all, just people in costume. It is refreshing to see this being used, as basic jump scares seem to be getting replaced with graphics that tend to take away from the story. I liked the overall storyline, but I do wish that there was more focus on Max being a writer, as it is barely touched upon throughout the story, I would have loved to have known what he was writing about. Chris really stole the show and with his off-color humor, it was great how his character was added into the story, along with Professor James who was just a bad ass when it came to facing off against the evil spirits. With a silent little boy, the need for help, a reluctant brother, cats, a demon, some creepy ghosts and an ending that will leave you wondering who really brought the spirits into the house, it is just a fun haunted house movie that keeps you intrigued throughout, mainly because it has a good story. Stay Scared.

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