So what's it all about?
The Tilson family (Quaid and Stone) move to the country to escape the
rat race and build a better life for their children. They buy a
repossessed house, which belonged to Dale Massie (Dorf). Massie lost the
house when he failed to make payments while in prison for a crime he
claims he didn't commit.
Initially Massie is friendly and quite helpful - he even fixes the
pool for the Tilson family - but after a while decides he wants the house
back. He launches a terror campaign, which includes filling the house with
snakes, but when that doesn't work tries to murder the Tilsons.
Is it any good?
The film starts slowly and only picks up speed after about half an
hour. The storyline is fairly interesting, specially after Massie becomes
unhinged and you discover the dark family secrets. Unfortunately it fails
to keep you on the edge of your seat and, considering the stellar cast,
you keep expecting more.
Overall, the cast disappoints. Quaid is your typical city person who
has never been physically challenged by another man. When he is, he fails
to stand up and be counted. Rather, he looks to the police for protection.
Stone is also disappointing as Leah Tilson, who is your average, bland
housewife. The problem here is that Quaid and Stone's characters are very
ordinary people, doing ordinary things. There is no real opportunity for
them to excel in their roles.
Juliet Lewis, as Massie's girlfriend is another disappointment,
although she does play the role of the submissive, trailer-trash
girlfriend well. No demands are made on her character. An actor of her
ability could do so such more more.
Stephan Dorf is the most interesting. As the psycho he is given free
range in his actions, which are loud, violent and extreme. Yet somehow he
fails to terrify, and comes across as your garden variety, murdering thug.
At the end of the day one wonders what a cast of this calibre is doing
in a movie like this.
Score: 2/5
How about those special features?
The extra features are not extensive, but are fairly interesting. You
can watch the film with the director's commentary. Then there's an insert
on how the extra footage was created to beef up Quaid's character, who
makes documentaries.
Ironically, there's a section dedicated to the making of a good
thriller. The director lists all the criteria, but somehow fails to
successfully incorporate them into his own film.
Finally there's a selection of deleted scenes and alternate ending -
one you should definitely watch if you were wondering what happened to the
sheriff after she was clubbed on the head.
Score: 3/5
Best part:
When the Tilson's try to get out of a house full of snakes.
Best quote:
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Cold
Creek Manor