Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘House of the Long Shadows’

Written by Scott Edwards

There can be some defining moments in your life that you know you can shine in, especially if you are willing to take the shot. If you are challenged to do something by a friend or coworker and know that you can accomplish it with very little effort, you know your stock will rise, along with your attitude towards it. But what if they are trying to keep you from accomplishing the goal that they have challenged you with and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong when you have performed the act a hundred times without fail? Would you really believe that they are trying to keep you from succeeding, or is it because you have put the pressure on yourself to do it better than before and cannot handle the added strain?

Kenneth Magee has been successful in the writing game, and although his last book did not top the sales charts, it was still noticeable in the eyes of his publisher. Even with a flop on his hands, the publisher is looking to make a harder push to get his next book to the top of the charts again where it deserves to be. But Kenneth may not have the drive to make his next story great and needs a little more inspiration to get his writing fire back. Being told that he will receive twenty thousand dollars for writing his next novel if he spends twenty four hours in a house off the beaten path has ignited this fire, and Kenneth is looking to start his next piece of greatness.

Arriving at the deserted Welsh manor that his publisher booked for him, Kenneth discovers it is anything but empty. When hearing some strange things downstairs, he finds two house keepers along with a woman that has been following him since he got on the train to start his journey. Not wanting to be distracted, Kenneth tells them all to keep it down and he does not care who or what they are, he just wants to write his novel and win the twenty grand. But as the night proceeds, more people continue to enter the house and Kenneth discovers that it is all of the family that used to live in house many years ago. As the Grisbane clan has come together once again, they have a plan of their own to release their younger brother who was locked away in the old house, but when people mysteriously start to perish, Kenneth knows that there is something more to the story that he has not been told.

Just a good old fashioned horror movie that only the eighties could provide. Bringing back four horror legends to walk around the house, this movie was driven by star power to get you into the story but winds up having you feel bad for Kenneth as he is not able to escape the house. With plenty of jump cuts and a ton of shadows, even long shadows as you are introduced to the characters, you are left wondering how they will release the family member and what it is that he will bring to the table once freed. I don’t want to say anything bad about a movie like this since all the characters had a purpose and served said purpose well, but the ending didn’t live up to the hype, and was not to my liking. Stay Scared.

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