The Houses Octber Built

The Houses October Built...2014...not rated...91 minutes...starring Brandy Schaefer, Zack Andrews, and Bobby Roe...written by Zack Andrews...directed by Bobby Roe

Are you looking for the ultimate Halloween experience? Do you want to push the envelope of fear in your haunted house hunting? Well, in this found-footage film a group of friends decides to do just that the week of Halloween, and find the dangerous underside to the home-made haunts that spring up every season.

If the plot synopsis seems short, well, that's because that's basically it. I understand that the mockumentary format is one of the easiest ways to make a movie if you're getting started. With any luck, I will be involved in a project like some of the ones I'm reviewing...and I don't expect it to be cinematic gold. If I'm lucky, this hypothetical creation will be cinematic zinc. But enough of the sidebar, I'm just saying that I get why I'm seeing a lot more of this style of film. This one worked a little better for me despite the fact that I'm just not a huge fan of the format.

Maybe I've watched too many horror movies, but at this time in my life I find myself with very little sympathy for characters who go do the obviously risky thing or decide to invade the "bad place" or read the grimoire or what have you. Said protagonists knew better, and often times they were being obnoxious in the process. Our main characters here do fall into that category, and so I was surprised to find myself still interested. Personally, it was more of the general idea being explored here.

I'm a sucker for urban legends, and the idea of a moving "experience" that is really a killing ground...darkly wonderful. There is something unsettling about people dressing up in costume to scare you, and the film includes footage of the stories that people trade about attractions, accidents that happen there, and so forth. For me at least, that's a great idea to explore.

The costumes of some of the stalking psychopaths are pretty well done...one in particular of a doll-girl really stood out to me as disturbing and effective. But the story itself doesn't really offer many surprises, and people who live in the southern part of the country may not like some of the "redneck" comments that the group use as they get further off the beaten path. There are some moments that stand out...but in general, the movie really doesn't break the pattern I've come to see a lot of on Hulu and Netflix.

So, I will give this piece 2 weird doll-girls out of 5.