Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Suburban Gothic’

Written by Scott Edwards

​As people wait for the perfect job to come along, it is not unusual these days for people to move back home with their parents. Saving money and having some support to back them while trying to find out what is right for them, it is an easier way to live than having to beg on the streets to survive. Even though there can be a number of jobs out there, careers are a little bit more difficult to come across as companies are starting to find out that the internet game is killing their businesses. If the option is available, it is better to look for the right fit rather than jumping from job to job to make ends meet.

After completing his business MBA, Raymond has not been able to find the right job for himself and is forced to make a decision that he knows he will regret. Moving back home to live with a father who never has anything good to say about him and a mother that loves everything about him, Raymond only wants to fly under the radar. With his father’s old style views, Raymond knows that living in the house will be hell for him, but can tolerate it for a little while, especially if he is able to leave whenever he wants.

Donald, Raymond’s father has more problems than just his son coming home as his backyard is still a mess and the workers promised that it would be done soon. Trying to get everything completed in a timely manner, especially to get away from Donald, the lead of the team, Hector, is trying to explain why things are taking so long. Finding a box buried in the backyard, Hector and his team open it up to find a dead little girl inside. Not wanting to cause a commotion about it, Hector decides to have it buried once again and leave it, but something has been unleashed on the land. Seeing someone in the bushes, Hector tries to lure them out, but finds out that what the box contained was more than a dead body, it also harbored a curse that he has released on the property.

Throughout his childhood Raymond was always sensitive to and able to see ghosts, but after going off to school, it pretty much subsided. But now, being home again and changing his medication, the ghosts are coming back to him and he knows that something is not right. Running into his old friend Becca at the bar, Raymond comes clean about what he has been seeing around the house and fears that things are getting worse and needs to find out what the spirit wants before his parents are targeted. Even though Becca does not fully believe in the supernatural, she joins Raymond in his hunt for the truth and the two are able to find out about the shady history surrounding his parent’s home. Needing to find out what the ghost needs is a bit more difficult and after calling in a friend to help communicate with it, Raymond is targeted by his father to be sent to a mental institution, but Raymond will not give up, knowing that what he is doing is right for the ghost, along with his family.

On the whole, this is a really fun movie with a couple of seconds of fright, but that is alright. I cannot get over how well Becca and Raymond played off of each other during the entire movie as they never missed a beat. With the love that parents are supposed to give to their children, Raymond’s father never seems to let up on his son, even though Raymond is really solid in his own way. The story that follows Raymond’s father is a little bit more sinister in a way, since he is behind on payments and will not let his opinion go unheard, it makes for a character you simply love to hate and hate to love. I still do not know what is happening with Raymond’s mother throughout the movie, she is really an enigma and never lets her true feelings come out. But with plenty of laughs, a little bit of scares, a mystery that needs solving, and some great one liners, it is a horror movie that will leave a smile on your face, especially if you like happy endings. Stay Scared.

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