Elizabeth Olsen stars in this remake of Spanish horror film La Casa Muda as Sarah – a young girl helping her father and uncle clear up the family’s vandalised and severely neglected holiday home so that they can sell it. When Sarah’s father is attacked, she desperately tries to find a way out of the house to get help, but someone or something seems to be doing their best to keep her trapped.
I wasn’t a fan of the original film. I found it too heavy handed and I could see the climax coming a mile off, so I gave this a miss during it’s theatrical run. I’m pleased to report however that this remake (although totally unnecessary) was slightly better thanks in part to it’s leading lady. Olsen was totally believable throughout and we the audience were highly sympathetic to her plight.
Film-makers Chris Kentis and Laura Lau of Open Water fame handle the material very well even adding some sub-plots to throw you off the trail if you’ve seen the original. There’s some genuinely nice cinematography (which is well choreographed too) throughout and the set and lighting design (or lack thereof) really helps the duo to eek out the tension.
OVERALL SUMMARY
The fact that this film comes so hot on the heels of both the 2010 original and the same years’ other Spanish horror effort Atrocious means that horror fans will find nothing new here. It is however a well crafted effort with a star turn from rising star Olsen and a ‘less is more’ approach helping the production team get the most out of their resources.
