House of Last Things

Last updated
House of Last Things
House of Last Things poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byMichael Bartlett
Written byMichael Bartlett
Produced by
  • Michael Bartlett
  • Jon Manning
Starring
Cinematography Ken Kelsch
Edited by
  • Michael Bartlett
  • Michael Ward
Music by
  • Alessandro Ponti
  • Andrew Poole Todd
Production
company
Cloudcover Films
Distributed by Revolver Entertainment
Release date
  • January 31, 2013 (2013-01-31)(France) [1]
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

House of Last Things is a 2013 American thriller film directed and written by Michael Bartlett. It stars Lindsey Haun, Blake Berris, RJ Mitte, Randy Schulman, Diane Dalton, and Micah Nelson. House sitters (Haun, Berris) discover that an unhappily married couple (Schulman, Dalton) may have left them in a haunted house.

Contents

Plot

Unhappily married couple Alan and Sarah reunite when she is released from a mental hospital. Alan, a classical music critic, announces that he has bought tickets to Italy for them both and introduces Kelly, whom he has hired to house sit for them. Although reluctant to leave for a foreign country so soon after her release, Sarah eventually agrees. Later flashbacks reveal that Alan and Kelly have been having an affair, and Alan intends to stress Sarah to the breaking point, so that she will again attempt to commit suicide. Meanwhile, Jesse, Kelly's petty criminal boyfriend, pushes her to allow him to stay in the house with her. Kelly refuses, and, upset that she allows her disabled brother Tim to move in, Jesse storms off.

Jesse later steals Alan's car and prepares to sell it to a friend, but he reconsiders his actions when he finds Adam, a child who has been abandoned at a local supermarket. Taking Adam back to the house, Jesse proposes that they ransom him. Shocked by the suggestion, Kelly attempts to return Adam to his parents but can not get any information from the child, who seems comfortable staying with them. Panicking over what to do next, Kelly listens to the radio and television broadcasts, but none of them mention a missing boy. Kelly becomes suspicious that something is wrong, but Jesse dismisses her concerns. Tim sees visions in the house, and his behavior becomes erratic. When one of the visions reveals to Tim that Kelly and Alan plan to run away together, he tells Jesse, who reacts nonchalantly.

In Italy, Alan and Sarah argue over whether they should return to the United States early, and both become stressed from visions and flashbacks, one of which reveals that Adam is their dead child. Drunk and responding to a haunting flashback, Alan becomes defensive about Adam's death. While Sarah is driving their car, Alan says he covered up the fact that he accidentally killed Adam while playing golf in the back yard, and Sarah becomes distraught. As her driving becomes erratic, Alan insists that she pull over, and they become involved in a fatal car accident. Kelly, Jesse, Tim, and Adam hear the accident broadcast over the entertainment center's speakers in the house.

As time goes on, Kelly's and Jesse's personalities shift to become more like Alan and Sarah's. Jesse becomes interested in golf and classic music, dressing well, and starting a family. He urges Tim to stop cursing and get a job, and asks Adam to call him "dad". After an initial period of sickness, Kelly begins baking pies and acting as a mother to Adam. Confused by the changes in Kelly's and Jesse's personalities, Tim becomes alienated and ultimately commits suicide. When Kelly locates a photo book full of pictures of Adam, the two of them bond, and a breeze blows out the candles on a birthday cake for Adam.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Portland, Oregon. [2]

Release

House of Last Things premiered at the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer. [1] Revolver Entertainment purchased distribution rights in the U.S. and Canada after the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. [3]

Reception

Ben Umstead of Twitch Film wrote, "Though the film is at times still quite creepy, and always persistently strange, Bartlett's story is refreshingly absent of evil and any real terror, gruesome or otherwise. For as much as it is a ghost story House Of Last Things is also a love story." [4] Scott Hallam of Dread Central rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Instead of being a traditional haunting tale, it's an ambitious take on a ghost story which at times works very well and at others becomes muddy." [5] Mark L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News called it "a twisting turning fever dream of a film full of lush treasures and nightmarish imagery." [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Beetlejuice</i> 1988 film by Tim Burton

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character.

<i>Village of the Damned</i> (1995 film) 1995 American film

Village of the Damned is a 1995 American science fiction-horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by David Himmelstein, and starring Christopher Reeve, Linda Kozlowski, Kirstie Alley, Michael Paré, Mark Hamill, and Meredith Salenger. It is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, itself based on the 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. The 1995 version is set in Northern California, whereas the book and original film are both set in the United Kingdom. The 1995 film was marketed with the tagline, "Beware the Children".

<i>The Challenge</i> (2003 film) 2003 film

The Challenge is a 2003 comedy film starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, their final direct-to-video production. It was the last of seven direct-to-video films produced by Tapestry Films to star the Olsens.

<i>A Christmas Carol</i> (2004 film) 2004 television film based on a 1994 stage musical

A Christmas Carol: The Musical is a 2004 American musical television film based on the 1994 stage musical by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens inspired by the 1843 novella of the same name by Charles Dickens.

The Guiding Light (GL) is the longest-running American television soap opera. This article covers the show in the 1980s.

<i>Prom Night III: The Last Kiss</i> 1989 film by Ron Oliver

Prom Night III: The Last Kiss is a 1989 Canadian black comedy slasher film and the third in the Prom Night film series, continuing the storyline involving the murderous female ghost named Mary Lou Maloney. This is the only entry to depart from the horror genre, and is instead a spoof of the previous films.

<i>Creation</i> (2009 film) 2009 film directed by Jon Amiel

Creation is a 2009 British biographical drama film about Charles Darwin's relationship with his wife Emma and his memory of their eldest daughter Annie, as he struggles to write On the Origin of Species. The film, directed by Jon Amiel and starring real life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly as Charles and Emma Darwin, is a somewhat fictionalised account based on Randal Keynes's Darwin biography Annie's Box.

<i>The Sweet House of Horrors</i> 1989 television film directed by Lucio Fulci

The Sweet House of Horrors is an Italian made-for-television horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film is about a young couple who are brutally murdered by a burglar and return as spirits to watch over their two young orphaned children, to seek revenge against their murderer, and try to prevent their house from being demolished.

<i>Insidious</i> (film) 2010 horror film by James Wan

Insidious is a 2010 supernatural horror film directed and co-edited by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey. It is the first installment in the Insidious franchise and the third in terms of the series' in-story chronology. The story centers on a married couple whose boy inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for a variety of demonic entities in an astral plane.

<i>The Turn of the Screw</i> (2009 film) British film

The Turn of the Screw is a British television film based on Henry James's 1898 ghost story of the same name. Commissioned and produced by the BBC, it was first broadcast on 30 December 2009, on BBC One. The novella was adapted for the screen by Sandy Welch, and the film was directed by Tim Fywell. Although generally true to the tone and story of James's work, the film is set in the 1920s—in contrast to the original 1840s setting—and accentuates sexual elements that some theorists have identified in the novella. The film's story is told in flashbacks during consultations between the institutionalised Ann and Dr Fisher. Ann tells how she was hired by an aristocrat to care for the orphans Miles and Flora. She is met at the children's home, Bly, by Mrs Grose, the housekeeper. Ann soon begins to see unknown figures around the manor, and seeks an explanation.

<i>Half a Sinner</i> (1940 film) 1940 film by Al Christie

Half a Sinner is a 1940 American comedy crime film directed by Al Christie. It stars Heather Angel as a schoolteacher who in one day becomes Public Enemy Number One in Pennsylvania. The film is based on Dalton Trumbo's short story "Lady Takes a Chance". The working titles of this film were Everything Happens to Ann and The Lady Takes a Chance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Roberts</span> Soap opera character

Damian Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Matt Doran. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 November 1991, and departed on 15 March 1996. Ben Hamilton played a young Damian in flashbacks in 1997.

<i>Catfish: The TV Show</i> American reality-based documentary television series

Catfish: The TV Show is an American reality-based documentary television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series, which premiered on November 12, 2012, is based on the 2010 film Catfish. In its first 7 seasons, the show was hosted by Nev Schulman and Max Joseph. Seeking to pursue a directing career, Joseph said his goodbye in the episode that aired on August 22, 2018. After Joseph's departure, several guest co-hosts were tried out, and eventually Kamie Crawford was selected to officially become part of the hosting duo in the show's 8th season alongside Schulman.

<i>Oculus</i> (film) 2013 American film directed by Mike Flanagan

Oculus is a 2013 American supernatural psychological horror film co-written, edited, and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is based on his short film Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, and stars Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites as two young adult siblings who are convinced that an antique mirror is responsible for the death and misfortune that their family had suffered.

Diana: Her True Story is a 1993 biographical drama television film based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It is based on the book of the same name by Andrew Morton, who also served as screenwriter and producer of the adaptation.

<i>The 9th Life of Louis Drax</i> 2015 film by Alexandre Aja

The 9th Life of Louis Drax is a 2016 supernatural thriller film directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Jamie Dornan, Sarah Gadon, Aiden Longworth, Oliver Platt, Molly Parker, Julian Wadham, Jane McGregor, Barbara Hershey, and Aaron Paul. It was written by Max Minghella based on Liz Jensen's best-selling 2004 novel of the same title.

Michael F. Bartlett is an American filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and editor.

A Christmas Carol is a 2020 British Christmas drama dance film directed by Jacqui Morris and David Morris and based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. It features the voices of Simon Russell Beale, Siân Phillips, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman and Leslie Caron. It received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>What Comes Around</i> (film) 2022 film by Amy Redford

What Comes Around is a 2022 American drama-thriller film, directed and produced by Amy Redford, from a screenplay by Scott Organ, based upon his play The Thing With Feathers. It stars Summer Phoenix, Grace Van Dien, Jesse Garcia, Kyle Gallner, Indiana Affleck, Reina Hardesty and Sierra Nicole Rose.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Miller, Mark L. (2013-02-08). "House of Last Things (2012)". Ain't It Cool News . Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  2. ↑ "Scoop: This Gossip Barely Avoided The Shutdown". Willamette Week . 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  3. ↑ McNary, Dave (2014-05-17). "Cannes: 'House of Last Things' Makes U.S. Deal (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  4. ↑ Umstead, Ben (2013-11-20). "Mórbido Fest 2013 Review: HOUSE OF LAST THINGS, A Different Kind Of Ghost Story". Twitch Film . Archived from the original on 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  5. ↑ Hallam, Scott (2012-09-28). "House of Last Things (2012)". Dread Central . Retrieved 2015-01-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.