If you want to see a horror movie, and you have seen most of them, this one will entertain you, is not the best but is a decent horror flick with decent acting, it can keep you trying to understand what is going one, and you wont know until the end of the movie. Please do not see this movie with great expectations, but I can guarantee that if you are fan of horror movies this one will be decent for you.
35 Reviews
Good movie for a friday night
pervezmoya14 July 2018
If you want spend a good time with your girl/boy-friend watch this movie for fun time.
It's a common movie of haunted house, freak characters, bad boys, and move-it-self objects. The plot began typically when a single mother and her son moved on to the creepy house. Then typically the mother hired a baby sister to care her "mute" boy. After that begin strange and rare events who in the develop of the plot has been linked with past stories of the characters and the town.
The movie has moments of horror and suspense. Isn't a great plot but it's simple and short movie that gives a surprise ending.
A decent ending saves it from being completely unwatchable
jtindahouse4 November 2016
There's an awful lot wrong with 'The Unspoken'. As I was watching it I was thinking to myself that it was one of the worst horror movies I've seen - and I've seen a lot of terrible horror movies. The amount of jump scares that turn out to be absolutely nothing is quite ridiculous. Jump scares are fine if there is a genuine reason for them relating to the story. Occasionally a misleading one can be thrown in, I accept that. But when there have been about 10-15 of them and none of them have turned out to be anything more than a cat jumping out of nowhere, it gets pretty frustrating. The other main problem I had, was that other than the opening scene, almost the entire movie happens during daylight hours. There's nothing scary about daylight. I don't think there's a film maker alive who could pull off an effective horror movie filmed entirely during the day. This was absolute amateur hour from director Sheldon Wilson.
The acting is bad, the dialogue is bad and the story is completely boring. There was almost nothing good going for it. Then along came the ending. It's a very interesting ending that I happened to quite like. I'm not talking 'The Usual Suspects' or 'Memento' type quality, and maybe it just seemed like a better ending because everything else had been so terrible and I wanted to like something about it. Regardless though, I liked it. In fact it bumped it up from being a '3' to a '4'. Is the horrible lead up worth it for the ending though? I'm going to stick with a no on that one.
The acting is bad, the dialogue is bad and the story is completely boring. There was almost nothing good going for it. Then along came the ending. It's a very interesting ending that I happened to quite like. I'm not talking 'The Usual Suspects' or 'Memento' type quality, and maybe it just seemed like a better ending because everything else had been so terrible and I wanted to like something about it. Regardless though, I liked it. In fact it bumped it up from being a '3' to a '4'. Is the horrible lead up worth it for the ending though? I'm going to stick with a no on that one.
This Is A "REALLY?!" Film
Foutainoflife30 June 2018
So, I say all the time that you really can't be too snobby when it comes to Horror/Mystery/Thrillers. Your going to see some that are good and some that are bad and this is truly based on each viewer's personal opinion and thresholds on the subject matter. This one was watchable but a bit of a flop. It seemed to be branded as a haunted house film but that isn't what it is. Actually, I'm not really sure that I know what it was about but the thing that had the most impact on my scoring was the very last thing that was implied. It just seemed so lame that all I could say was "REALLY?!"
Another boring ghost film
Leofwine_draca28 December 2015
You know the routine by now: a young family moved into a house with a history and before long are assailed by all manner of weird goings on in the form of spectres and sinister events. It soon transpires that the past is very much present and the new tenants will soon have a fight for survival on their hands...
THE UNSPOKEN - which I saw under the alternate title of THE HAUNTING OF BRIAR HOUSE - is an extremely routine low budget horror film from Canada. The plotting is entirely familiar and the scare sequences well choreographed in advance. Even worse, there's an obvious murder mystery aspect which makes things feel even more stereotypical (anyone who's seen the Daniel Craig film DREAM HOUSE will know what to expect here).
A couple of gory moments are stirred into the mix but the ultimate pay-off is disappointing. Watch out for Neal McDonough, cameoing as the sheriff.
THE UNSPOKEN - which I saw under the alternate title of THE HAUNTING OF BRIAR HOUSE - is an extremely routine low budget horror film from Canada. The plotting is entirely familiar and the scare sequences well choreographed in advance. Even worse, there's an obvious murder mystery aspect which makes things feel even more stereotypical (anyone who's seen the Daniel Craig film DREAM HOUSE will know what to expect here).
A couple of gory moments are stirred into the mix but the ultimate pay-off is disappointing. Watch out for Neal McDonough, cameoing as the sheriff.
Interesting Idea that put me to sleep.
subxerogravity30 October 2016
Overall, it could have been a very interesting film.
The simple plot is that a young girl gets a job as a baby sitter for a new family living in a house known in the small town for it's reputation, but then there is an interesting twist to the ghost story that could have been an eye opener and made this something horror fans would want to gravitate to
The thing is, the production on this was weak, not because it's a low budget horror film, but nothing came together in an exciting way. Everything was too standard to be interesting. you can tell from the beginning that the frights were not going to do anything. From the first "scare" all of them just bounce right off you rather than having them bounce you out of your seat.
I really wish it could have been better, but it was just boring.
The simple plot is that a young girl gets a job as a baby sitter for a new family living in a house known in the small town for it's reputation, but then there is an interesting twist to the ghost story that could have been an eye opener and made this something horror fans would want to gravitate to
The thing is, the production on this was weak, not because it's a low budget horror film, but nothing came together in an exciting way. Everything was too standard to be interesting. you can tell from the beginning that the frights were not going to do anything. From the first "scare" all of them just bounce right off you rather than having them bounce you out of your seat.
I really wish it could have been better, but it was just boring.
A good movie similar to Amityville
erdalatalay3521 September 2016
I recommend this movie absolutely. There are similarities to other movies like Amityville, which is also cited in the movie. The director and at the same time writer of the movie must be a fan of Amityville movies just like me. The opening is very good and very promising, so that it makes you curious for more. The acting is good, Neal McDonough is the sheriff and the main actress Jodelle Ferland is known for The Tall Man (2012). Before I watched it, I thought it's about a ghost house. Was I right? It was not only this. By the way the special effects are also good. Altogether it is a 6.2 or 6.3 movie for me.
Some Things are Better Left Unsaid
dcarsonhagy1 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"The Unspoken" is another horror (yawn) movie about, well, ghosts (I guess). It has an overall effect of cold mush okra. It is so hackneyed, so predictable, so non-scary it should be used as an example in an undergraduate course on how to bore an audience instead of scaring them.
It opens with a story of what would become legend "The Briar House." It seems that an entire family vanished from the face of the earth never to be heard from again. If my thinking serves me correctly, I would say the cat scared them. Watch this movie, and you'll get the connection.
Anyhoo, flash forward to the present, and a single mother and mute son move into the house. Immediately, things begin to go bump in the night. Angela is then introduced as the movie's protagonist. She is played by Jodelle Ferland ("Silent Hill" and "Case 39"). Nearly every word she utters is barely above a whisper, yet she manages to bond with the mute boy. Along the way, however, she is tormented by some local thugs--right out of the Hardy Boys High School--and tries to have a faux lesbian relationship with some boyish girl. The boys need to get back in the house to get their "stash" (I'm sure it was a limitless end of Lego blocks), but I digress.
This movie was just plain bad. And the completely unbelievable ending left me stupefied. As in many other movies of this genre, it was as if the writer, director, and producer sat down and said, "Okay; I have NO idea how to end this, so let's just do this." Rated "R" for violence and language.
It opens with a story of what would become legend "The Briar House." It seems that an entire family vanished from the face of the earth never to be heard from again. If my thinking serves me correctly, I would say the cat scared them. Watch this movie, and you'll get the connection.
Anyhoo, flash forward to the present, and a single mother and mute son move into the house. Immediately, things begin to go bump in the night. Angela is then introduced as the movie's protagonist. She is played by Jodelle Ferland ("Silent Hill" and "Case 39"). Nearly every word she utters is barely above a whisper, yet she manages to bond with the mute boy. Along the way, however, she is tormented by some local thugs--right out of the Hardy Boys High School--and tries to have a faux lesbian relationship with some boyish girl. The boys need to get back in the house to get their "stash" (I'm sure it was a limitless end of Lego blocks), but I digress.
This movie was just plain bad. And the completely unbelievable ending left me stupefied. As in many other movies of this genre, it was as if the writer, director, and producer sat down and said, "Okay; I have NO idea how to end this, so let's just do this." Rated "R" for violence and language.
No one will believe you
nogodnomasters5 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The film opens showing us unusual events/killings in a home with the family disappearing afterwards. It jumps 17 years later as Ms. Peterson (Pascale Hutton) and her mute son Adrian (Sunny Suljic) move into the place. Everyone thinks they are crazy and Angela (Jodelle Ferland) agrees to help tend for the child as things then happen. Some teens have been stowing their stash in the basement to create more victims.
This is your basic haunted house killing people tale. Unlike other films, the opening sequence offers zero clues as to what is going on. What is the history? Why is this house haunted? Who were the former residence? Zip, nada, none. It isn't until the film is about to run the credits do you get the explanation, one that caught me off guard. It was unique. I liked it. It made something interesting of a mediocre production. I liked the film, but it appears most people didn't.
Guide: No sex or nudity. I don't recall any swearing.
This is your basic haunted house killing people tale. Unlike other films, the opening sequence offers zero clues as to what is going on. What is the history? Why is this house haunted? Who were the former residence? Zip, nada, none. It isn't until the film is about to run the credits do you get the explanation, one that caught me off guard. It was unique. I liked it. It made something interesting of a mediocre production. I liked the film, but it appears most people didn't.
Guide: No sex or nudity. I don't recall any swearing.
A powerful beginning...but!
ravenhair7026 July 2020
I loved the beginning, like a book, the first chapter has to grab me if I want to finish it...however, this was not the case. It was good at the beginning, but as the movie went on, it seemed to lack as it went along. I liked the spooky things that happened in the house, cabinets opening and slamming...the house keeper peeling out of the driveway when these things happened like I would have. No amount of money would keep me there when I see things moving by themselves. I liked the whole movie until the end when I really learned what was really going on. The ending ruined it for me. I want to recommend this movie...but I can't. Not with a good consciousness. Peace.
Perfect Scary Movie for The Normal People
mistermassive2 November 2016
No torture porn, no gore fest, no perverted garbage. Just your basic scary movie with enough chills and frights to make you uncomfortable while viewing.
It was nice to see the girl from Dark Matter playing the lead in this film and to see her in a new light. I was hooked in the first fifteen minutes as you keep wondering why certain events are shown and certain rumors exist in the town where this takes place. In fact the ending even provides a nice albeit humorous twist as well.
So if you enjoy psychological thrillers and a fairly unique plot that unfolds quickly in the end then you may find this move as fun as I did.
It was nice to see the girl from Dark Matter playing the lead in this film and to see her in a new light. I was hooked in the first fifteen minutes as you keep wondering why certain events are shown and certain rumors exist in the town where this takes place. In fact the ending even provides a nice albeit humorous twist as well.
So if you enjoy psychological thrillers and a fairly unique plot that unfolds quickly in the end then you may find this move as fun as I did.
Above average for its kind.
fedor82 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A haunted house flick with a young-thugs sub-plot and a conclusion that has to get points for originality. I'm not saying it's brilliantly original or anything, but at least there was an attempt to break away from the usual cliche ghost ending, offering the viewers something new.
Having said that, while interesting enough for the most part, the film is a bit predictable nonetheless. The blonde who moves into the house is suspicious early on, because she shows zero concern about cops surrounding her house. The kid becomes suspicious too gradually. So it's not as if nobody could see that particular plot-twist coming. It's the explanation behind their motives that is original and unexpected.
Aside from that, a standard horror flick with quite a few cliches and pointless jump-scares, the cameraman impersonating a ghost (when he isn't one) and other cheap scare tactics. The cast is OK, it's especially nice to see Jodelle in a horror flick again.
Having said that, while interesting enough for the most part, the film is a bit predictable nonetheless. The blonde who moves into the house is suspicious early on, because she shows zero concern about cops surrounding her house. The kid becomes suspicious too gradually. So it's not as if nobody could see that particular plot-twist coming. It's the explanation behind their motives that is original and unexpected.
Aside from that, a standard horror flick with quite a few cliches and pointless jump-scares, the cameraman impersonating a ghost (when he isn't one) and other cheap scare tactics. The cast is OK, it's especially nice to see Jodelle in a horror flick again.
Cliched
thales-6304516 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A horror flick ? Nope. A thriller? Maybe. Cliche? Oh yes. We have the small town America with three bad teenager/20 somethings. You have the weird kid. The sugary sweet mum or mom as they say in the US and a quick kissing scene between two girls. Well it is 2015. There are plenty of sudden fright scenes but there are so many other films with exactly the same format that they aren't scary. They tried but it didn't work. Half way through you get the picture. Scary things happen when kid is about but mum (mom) isn't. How do the writers get to a conclusion? Ah yes, let's get the teenagers/20 somethings armed up because they really need those drugs stashed in the house. Let's kill them and the finale all will be known. Yup. Obvious. Too obvious. For those who like this genre and don't care if it's been done before, this is for you.
Just about watchable.
samhainee23 December 2023
This is an interesting idea handled in a poor and predictable way. My favourite thing about it has to be the main villain's accent. For some reason he sounds like a 1950s gangster, "now listen here see". Imagine him in a zoot suit with a tommy gun and it becomes very entertaining.
The rest of the cast are fine. The creepy little boy could easily have been swapped out with a ham sandwich and it wouldn't have made much difference as all he does is stare and vanish, but that's par for the course with this sort of film. The original spooky child of the early 00s, Jodelle Ferland tries her best, but she never really has much to do. She also decided to play her role like a demure Victorian nanny, which is completely at odds with the rest of the film. It's impossible for me to see Lochlyn Munroe as anyone other than Greg from Scary Movie so he's a lost cause. There are other people but they're all bland and uninteresting.
This film also suffers from jumpscare abuse. I'm very jumpy, jumpscares get me, but after the first dozen or so I'd become desensitised to them. Every few minutes there's another piercing screech and a thud, but it's just a cat, or a shadow, or sometimes it's an actual over the top ghost, or sometimes it's just for fun. There's no tension, no build-up, just increasingly ineffective loud noises.
All in all, if you're bored and need something on in the background, this is a perfectly adequate horror film. If you want to be scared or immersed in an interesting story, look elsewhere.
The rest of the cast are fine. The creepy little boy could easily have been swapped out with a ham sandwich and it wouldn't have made much difference as all he does is stare and vanish, but that's par for the course with this sort of film. The original spooky child of the early 00s, Jodelle Ferland tries her best, but she never really has much to do. She also decided to play her role like a demure Victorian nanny, which is completely at odds with the rest of the film. It's impossible for me to see Lochlyn Munroe as anyone other than Greg from Scary Movie so he's a lost cause. There are other people but they're all bland and uninteresting.
This film also suffers from jumpscare abuse. I'm very jumpy, jumpscares get me, but after the first dozen or so I'd become desensitised to them. Every few minutes there's another piercing screech and a thud, but it's just a cat, or a shadow, or sometimes it's an actual over the top ghost, or sometimes it's just for fun. There's no tension, no build-up, just increasingly ineffective loud noises.
All in all, if you're bored and need something on in the background, this is a perfectly adequate horror film. If you want to be scared or immersed in an interesting story, look elsewhere.
Movie implodes. Film at 11. Or not.
S_Soma27 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
*************************************************************
Disclaimer:
I must offer to you a confession: I like movies that give me a fright. If the subject is horror I got to see more or I won't be contented all night.
-from "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati"
Fair warning: I'm biased in favor of movies involving horror, monsters, the supernatural, the paranormal, space aliens, zombies, science fiction, and those Twinkies of cinema, found footage. I would rather drink syrup of ipecac than watch "On Golden Pond", "Places in the Heart", or "Fried Green Tomatoes". I am not William Blake; what you will read here is the foamy-mouthed drivel of Clyde the Village Idiot.
While it's true that 97% of the movies within the above listed genres are utter rubbish, I put on garbage bags and it's my hobby to dig through the stinking pile and find the few that are, miraculously, somehow redeemable. So be confident in the knowledge that only the highest quality cultural dreck will receive a positive review.
*************************************************************
"THE UNSPOKEN"
I'd like to reiterate the standard warning: there are definite spoilers in this review. Much of the entire structure of the picture is dependent upon a twist ending and if you want to enjoy it unpolluted by my ramblings, stop reading now.
Suppose you took it into your head that YOU were going to write a ghost story. And not only that, you were also determined that your ghost story was going to be completely original. Would you be able to do it? The difficulty is that countless thousands of ghost stories have been written at this point. Coming up with something completely original is going to be a very tall order.
Genuinely original stories do happen occasionally. "The Others" was completely novel, to me at least. And since then there have been a few other ghost stories that I have come across using the same basic idea of a perspective shift that made "The Others" fairly unique for its time. But of course, THOSE follow-on's aren't original anymore, are they?
"The Unspoken" also tries to be original within the genre of ghost stories. Unfortunately, it doesn't pull it off nearly as well as "The Others". Sadly, its punchline is a little too clever for itself by half.
The movie comes out its corner at the starting bell swinging. From the very first frame it's pretty scary and supernatural "stuff", with smears and spatterings of blood sprinkled about for good measure, are happening all over the place. (Man, I would NOT want to have been that cop ) Initially I was very impressed and was rolling along quite well.
In fact, everything was going great until the last 10 minutes or so of the movie. It becomes apparent that the supernatural activity is not because of ghosts, but rather because of one of the main characters in the movie. And then we're provided with an explanation of why it is that this character can engage in supernatural activity, and then we are told point blank that none of what has happened is because of ghosts.
While I appreciate the effort in coming up with a plot twist that "rationally" explains ghost -like phenomena, this was so poorly done in this picture that it casts a pall on the other 90% of the movie, which was actually fairly scary if you managed to get into the "willing suspension of disbelief" requirement. So poorly done in fact, and so badly set up that it was as bad as a "and she woke up and it was all a dream" copout or a dei ex machina (as more than one was involved).
They just pulled this "explanation" from some bodily orifice and threw it at us like a hand grenade. With jazz hands.
When even the heroin objects to the pat explanation, the deus making the explanation just says, "oh, you just thought you saw such and such". Wow.
In the light of the revelation at the end, if you think back over the movie (or, if you have no life, watch the movie again with foreknowledge of the explanation), there's actually several large plot holes similar to this one. One gets the sense that some desperate, pressured rewriting occurred close to the finish line and we're all hoping you won't notice. And jazz hands.
Within the limitations of this genre and the intrinsic barriers to originality, this movie was actually doing pretty well until it got shot at the finish line. Maybe if you just pull the plug on your screen about 10 minutes from the end ?
Disclaimer:
I must offer to you a confession: I like movies that give me a fright. If the subject is horror I got to see more or I won't be contented all night.
-from "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati"
Fair warning: I'm biased in favor of movies involving horror, monsters, the supernatural, the paranormal, space aliens, zombies, science fiction, and those Twinkies of cinema, found footage. I would rather drink syrup of ipecac than watch "On Golden Pond", "Places in the Heart", or "Fried Green Tomatoes". I am not William Blake; what you will read here is the foamy-mouthed drivel of Clyde the Village Idiot.
While it's true that 97% of the movies within the above listed genres are utter rubbish, I put on garbage bags and it's my hobby to dig through the stinking pile and find the few that are, miraculously, somehow redeemable. So be confident in the knowledge that only the highest quality cultural dreck will receive a positive review.
*************************************************************
"THE UNSPOKEN"
I'd like to reiterate the standard warning: there are definite spoilers in this review. Much of the entire structure of the picture is dependent upon a twist ending and if you want to enjoy it unpolluted by my ramblings, stop reading now.
Suppose you took it into your head that YOU were going to write a ghost story. And not only that, you were also determined that your ghost story was going to be completely original. Would you be able to do it? The difficulty is that countless thousands of ghost stories have been written at this point. Coming up with something completely original is going to be a very tall order.
Genuinely original stories do happen occasionally. "The Others" was completely novel, to me at least. And since then there have been a few other ghost stories that I have come across using the same basic idea of a perspective shift that made "The Others" fairly unique for its time. But of course, THOSE follow-on's aren't original anymore, are they?
"The Unspoken" also tries to be original within the genre of ghost stories. Unfortunately, it doesn't pull it off nearly as well as "The Others". Sadly, its punchline is a little too clever for itself by half.
The movie comes out its corner at the starting bell swinging. From the very first frame it's pretty scary and supernatural "stuff", with smears and spatterings of blood sprinkled about for good measure, are happening all over the place. (Man, I would NOT want to have been that cop ) Initially I was very impressed and was rolling along quite well.
In fact, everything was going great until the last 10 minutes or so of the movie. It becomes apparent that the supernatural activity is not because of ghosts, but rather because of one of the main characters in the movie. And then we're provided with an explanation of why it is that this character can engage in supernatural activity, and then we are told point blank that none of what has happened is because of ghosts.
While I appreciate the effort in coming up with a plot twist that "rationally" explains ghost -like phenomena, this was so poorly done in this picture that it casts a pall on the other 90% of the movie, which was actually fairly scary if you managed to get into the "willing suspension of disbelief" requirement. So poorly done in fact, and so badly set up that it was as bad as a "and she woke up and it was all a dream" copout or a dei ex machina (as more than one was involved).
They just pulled this "explanation" from some bodily orifice and threw it at us like a hand grenade. With jazz hands.
When even the heroin objects to the pat explanation, the deus making the explanation just says, "oh, you just thought you saw such and such". Wow.
In the light of the revelation at the end, if you think back over the movie (or, if you have no life, watch the movie again with foreknowledge of the explanation), there's actually several large plot holes similar to this one. One gets the sense that some desperate, pressured rewriting occurred close to the finish line and we're all hoping you won't notice. And jazz hands.
Within the limitations of this genre and the intrinsic barriers to originality, this movie was actually doing pretty well until it got shot at the finish line. Maybe if you just pull the plug on your screen about 10 minutes from the end ?
Yawn. Been done much better in other movies.
JShaft3324 June 2019
Poor acting. Dumb jump scares. Just because you play loud startling sounds doesn't make something scary. Pretty clichéd script. Even when they explained what was going on at the end I still had no idea what was going on.
Not worth speaking about
TheLittleSongbird25 May 2018
'The Unspoken' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was very weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'The Unspoken' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'The Unspoken'.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the decent way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it.
Found too that the last third redeemed things, picking up in pace and even offerings some effective spooks (though this all came too little too late) after the rest of the film being so dull.
However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, with a lot of sleepwalking and histrionics. The effects are ropy at best.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of the film fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is very little threat here and what there is of it is used poorly. The first two thirds badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat, before the last third until the too pat climax redeems things.
In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 3/10 Bethany Cox
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was very weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'The Unspoken' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'The Unspoken'.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the decent way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it.
Found too that the last third redeemed things, picking up in pace and even offerings some effective spooks (though this all came too little too late) after the rest of the film being so dull.
However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, with a lot of sleepwalking and histrionics. The effects are ropy at best.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of the film fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is very little threat here and what there is of it is used poorly. The first two thirds badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat, before the last third until the too pat climax redeems things.
In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 3/10 Bethany Cox
Interesting ending, maybe an unofficial prequel to the original The Amytiville Horror.
Fella_shibby1 January 2017
This is another haunted house film, babysitter in need of money, family disappeared without a trace, house in the middle of nowhere, small town, people staying away from the haunted house, single mother with a child moves in, jump factors, repetitive loud sound weird things.
One may say that this has been done so many times n that the jump scares n sudden loud noise n cat jumping around is getting monotonous.
Well i found the movie decent enuff to finish off but in two sittings. Kinda boring then uh.
The small town n the isolated house were captured well.
The editing was a bit tedious, the script n acting was good but the movie lacked suspense n tension n of course u won't find large number of kills or nudity in such films.
The jump scares n ghostly happenings became saturated. The loud sound became annoying. The first kill was good. There is a bald n bearded version of Matthew McConaughey lookalike.
There is decent gore towards the end n the thing which stood out was the interesting twist n the reference to The Amytiville Horror. Unspoken an unofficial prequel to The Amytiville Horror.
The jump scares n ghostly happenings became saturated. The loud sound became annoying. The first kill was good. There is a bald n bearded version of Matthew McConaughey lookalike.
There is decent gore towards the end n the thing which stood out was the interesting twist n the reference to The Amytiville Horror. Unspoken an unofficial prequel to The Amytiville Horror.
The Unremarkable
Stevieboy66631 March 2020
A single mother and her mute 9 year old son move into a house with a sinister and mysterious past. They hire a local girl as a baby sitter and things start to get spooky, plus a small gang of local drug dealers blight them.
This is a perfect example of why the majority of modern, 21st Century horror movies are so instantly forgettable. We get cheap jump scare after cheap jump scary, none of which are actually scary and it all rather quickly gets boring. The local thugs are somewhat ridiculous and unconvincing, would they really resort to murder in such a small town community just to get their stash? I think not. And then there's the ending, no spoiler from me other than to say I found it incredibly corny.
5/10 from me, perhaps a tad generous. This is by no means a bad movie, more like a reasonable time filler that I will have forgotten about by tomorrow and certainly wouldn't watch again. The film does have two good gore scenes and the acting was on the whole sufficient.
better than reviews posted here
russelloc7 March 2020
The jump scare maybe lame at times but overall I had a good time with this film.Its not your usual ghost story as some say. I did not fully guess the ending. That is all I am going to say except I do reccomend you watch it
The initial story line had potential, but the movie was horrible
nfire131 October 2016
Horrible acting all the way around. Joelle Ferland (Angela) was absolutely awful!
The story started interesting, and then became more and more predictable. The slamming doors and loud noises was most of the "scary" moments.
They could have more eerie creepy moments. but it just didn't happen.
The first death scene looked like it was made in the 1980's. So, so, bad.
Most of the progression of the movie didn't make sense. I know, it is supposed to be a scary movie, don't ask questions.
Neal McDonough probably wished he would have passed on making this movie.
The story started interesting, and then became more and more predictable. The slamming doors and loud noises was most of the "scary" moments.
They could have more eerie creepy moments. but it just didn't happen.
The first death scene looked like it was made in the 1980's. So, so, bad.
Most of the progression of the movie didn't make sense. I know, it is supposed to be a scary movie, don't ask questions.
Neal McDonough probably wished he would have passed on making this movie.
Phenomenal
langtanisha29 July 2017
I have never posted a review of a movie before. I do not know why people are knocking this movie. I thought it was fantastic. I am a horror, suspense and thriller lover. This movie held my attention from start to finish. I was literally a bit frighten as to what was happening. I can't count how many times I jumped. I rated it a 9 instead of a 10 because of the unfolding of the ending. Check it out for your self.
Bloody Haunted House
Pairic26 May 2020
Haunting Of Briar House (The Unspoken): Superfiicilly this is your typical possessed rather than haunted house but there's more going than meets the eye, I won't add to that, just wait for the plot reveal. Possessed though because a family has vanished, leaving the house covered in blood with one servant hanging from the ceiling and the other a gibbering wreck. Seventeen years later a woman moves in with her troubled son who has been mute since the death of his father. A local teenage girl is hired as a nanny. Locals fear the house so only oddballs or the desperate will work there. Throw in the local psychotic bulies and a creepy handyman and we're set to go. Animals are ritually sacrificed as offerings to the house and a deceased dog reanimates and kills the handyman. Poltergeist activity, sinister marbles rolling about, invisible hands strangling people, drill bits coming through floors impaling a victim. This house would not compete well in an ideal homes exhibition. A constant feeling of dread infuses the film as dreams merge with reality. Not a classic but Writer/Director Sheldon Wilson delivers an effective horror flick. 7/10. On the Horror Channel.
Not sure what they were doing here..
bethroseharwood15 December 2019
Some bits were really good... Like it could of been really good. But instead it came across really cheaply done with an annoying lead actress who I couldn't stand to watch.
The storyline wasn't clear.. And the ending didn't prove much better.
But not to be all bad, it was OK in some parts and had some good elements of horror in it. But just didn't hit the spot for me.
The storyline wasn't clear.. And the ending didn't prove much better.
But not to be all bad, it was OK in some parts and had some good elements of horror in it. But just didn't hit the spot for me.
A lot more could have been left unspoken
happychick-5201417 February 2017
Sorry folks, if you were looking for a good ghost film this is not the one. Plenty of jump scares, and gore, not a lot of actual haunting.
A woman and her son move into a supposedly haunted house, and hire a babysitter. The babysitter, predictably, has some history with the house, and her dear dead mother. Some things happen etc. etc.
This is a slow moving film, with an unsatisfying Ex Machina ending, and some truly on-the-noes acting.
A woman and her son move into a supposedly haunted house, and hire a babysitter. The babysitter, predictably, has some history with the house, and her dear dead mother. Some things happen etc. etc.
This is a slow moving film, with an unsatisfying Ex Machina ending, and some truly on-the-noes acting.
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