Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of House Of Shadows. Before we get into it, here are my ratings:
Story - 1.25
Direction - 0.50
Pace - 1.00
Acting - 0.75
Enjoyment - 0.50
TOTAL - 4.00
To be completely honest with you, I don't know how this film scored a 4 out of 10; it really should be less. The thing is, there are some elements of this film that showed promise.
The story is a good example. The premise is first-rate, however, the production of it into a first-rate script is lacking. It's a story of a love triangle that ends in misery - and a haunting. The haunting of Audry and her spectral visions are the one element handled well. And, for the most part, these are also directed successfully. Though, there are times when the soundtrack gets too busy and too raucous. The chorus of wailing ghosts is especially irritating and silly.
What lets House of Shadows down were the cast. Though the performances look good, the dubbing leaves a lot to be desired. Nobody's voice appears to match the person or their feelings. And the strange thing is the movie, though Spanish, looks to be spoken in English by the actors and actresses, as I could lip-read some of their dialogue. So why dub them with different voices for the English version? Unfortunately, it's Yvonne De Carlo who comes out worst in the dubbing stakes. I double dare you to keep a straight face, if you watch this film, when you get to the scene where she's "Baby Talking" to her dog. I felt embarrassed for her.
In the correct Writers' and Directors' hands, this could have been a classic Murder Mystery Ghost Story, but what you have is a mediocre and poorly created film. I would recommend staying away from it at all costs. Unless you are looking for a film project - a good remake would be a nice addition to the Ghost Story genre of Horror.
Feel free to come and visit my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chiller lists to see where The House Of Shadows ranked in my charts.
Take Care & Stay Well.
