The Charnel House (film)

Last updated
The Charnel House
TheCharnelHouse2016poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Craig Moss
Written by
  • Chad Israel
  • Emanuel Isler
Produced by
  • Sandra Siegal
  • Mark Benton Johnson
Starring
CinematographyPaul Marschall
Edited byJosh Noyes
Music byTodd Haberman
Production
companies
  • Siegal Entertainment
  • MJ Films
  • Producer Capital Fund
Distributed by Freestyle Releasing
Release date
  • November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Charnel House is a 2016 American supernatural horror dark fantasy film directed by Craig Moss and written by Chad Israel and Emanuel Isler. The film stars Callum Blue, Nadine Velazquez, Makenzie Moss, and Erik LaRay Harvey. It was released in theaters and on digital platforms on November 4, 2016, by Freestyle Releasing. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

A long abandoned slaughterhouse is transformed into modern lofts in a re-gentrified urban neighborhood. Soon after tenants move in, they are tormented by a dark secret that has been trapped in the building for over 30 years.

Cast

Production

On June 30, 2015, it was announced that Callum Blue and Nadine Velazquez would star opposite Makenzie Moss and Erik LaRay Harvey in the film, with Craig Moss directing from a screenplay by Emanuel Isler and Chad Israel. Producers Sandra Siegal and Mark Benton Johnson re-teamed after working together previously on Miss Meadows . [2] [3] The music was composed by Todd Haberman. [4]

The film was shot in Cleveland, Ohio in 18 days. [5]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 33% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. [6]

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times stated, "But while the cast is talented and the tone is classy, The Charnel House never develops any momentum. The movie puts fright on the back burner to tease out a mystery that proves to be too profoundly idiotic to be worth all the bother." [7] Tom Keogh of The Seattle Times gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and observed that it "moves along fairly briskly, drawing on bits of inspiration from The Shining and Poltergeist , while adding an interesting twist to a doppelgänger theme." [8] Maitland McDonagh of Film Journal International wrote, "The Charnel House doesn't break any conspicuously new ground, but the setting is distinctive and writers Emanuel Isler and Chad Israel make good use of the idea that the building's pervasive tech is also a portal to the kind of otherworldly things." [9] Aaron B. Peterson of The Hollywood Outsider described the film as "an intriguing thriller with a novel concept, carried forward by a bold and focused performance from its lead." [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Beautician and the Beast</i> 1997 film by Ken Kwapis

The Beautician and the Beast is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, written by Todd Graff, and starring Fran Drescher, Timothy Dalton, Lisa Jakub, Ian McNeice, and Patrick Malahide. It tells the story of a New York City beautician who is hired, under the false assumption that she is a science teacher, to tutor the four children of a dictator of a fictional Eastern European nation, played by Timothy Dalton. The film deals with the theme of cultural differences, and takes inspiration from other stories like Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, Evita, and The Sound of Music. Produced by Drescher's company High School Sweethearts in partnership with Paramount Pictures, The Beautician and the Beast was her first starring role in a film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin McDonagh</span> British-Irish filmmaker and playwright (born 1970)

Martin Faranan McDonagh is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his absurdist dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won numerous accolades including an Academy Award, six BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Olivier Awards in addition to five nominations for Tony Awards.

<i>Malevolence</i> (film) 2003 film by Stevan Mena

Malevolence is a 2004 independent American slasher film written, produced and directed by Stevan Mena, and starring Samantha Dark and R. Brandon Johnson. The plot follows a mother and her adolescent daughter who are held hostage by bank robbers at an abandoned house; the robbers' plans are disrupted when they are all confronted by a serial killer who resides on a nearby property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Moss</span> American actor (born 1982)

Elisabeth Singleton Moss is an American actor and producer. For her work in television dramas, she has received two Golden Globe Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards, and Vulture named her the "Queen of Peak TV" in 2017.

<i>Dead & Breakfast</i> 2004 American film

Dead & Breakfast is a 2004 musical zombie comedy film directed by Matthew Leutwyler starring Ever Carradine, Gina Philips, Erik Palladino, Bianca Lawson, Jeremy Sisto and Oz Perkins. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and went on to win over a dozen awards. It was also nominated for a Saturn Award.

Maitland McDonagh is an American film critic, writer-editor and podcaster. She is the author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento (1991) and other books and articles on horror and exploitation films, as well as about erotic fiction and erotic cinema. In 2022, McDonagh was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame. She is the founder of the small press 120 Days Books, which became an imprint of Riverdale Avenue Books.

<i>Dont Go to Sleep</i> 1982 television film directed by Richard Lang

Don't Go To Sleep is a 1982 American made-for-television horror film that was produced and directed by Richard Lang. The movie features Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Ruth Gordon, and Robert Webber, and youngsters Kristin Cumming, Robin Ignico, and Oliver Robins.

<i>Auggie Rose</i> 2001 film by Matthew Tabak

Auggie Rose, also known as Beyond Suspicion, is a 2000 American drama film directed by Matthew Tabak and starring Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche. It was originally shown on Cinemax and then released on video with the title Beyond Suspicion before a limited theatrical release in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City.

<i>The Avenger</i> (1960 film) 1960 film

The Avenger is a 1960 West German crime film directed by Karl Anton and starring Heinz Drache, Ingrid van Bergen and Ina Duscha. It is based on the 1926 novel The Avenger by Edgar Wallace. It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets were designed by the art director Willi Herrmann.

<i>The White Reindeer</i> 1952 film

The White Reindeer is a 1952 Finnish folk horror film directed by Erik Blomberg in his feature film debut. Blomberg wrote the screenplay with his wife Mirjami Kuosmanen, who also stars in the lead role. Based on pre-Christian Finnish mythology and Sami shamanism, the film is set in the Finnish Lapland and centers on a young woman, Pirita (Kuosmanen).

Night of Henna is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Hassan Zee, and is the first Pakistani-American feature film. The film stars Pooja Kumar, Reef Karim, Nancy Carlin, Suhail Tayyeb, Ponni Swaminathan Chesser, and Craig Marker.

<i>Tucker & Dale vs. Evil</i> 2010 film by Eli Craig

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a 2010 black comedy horror film directed by Eli Craig and written by Craig and Morgan Jurgenson. It stars Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Brandon Jay McLaren, Jesse Moss, and Chelan Simmons. Labine and Tudyk play a pair of well-meaning hillbillies who are mistaken for killers by a group of clueless college students. The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and received a limited release in the United States.

<i>Snitch</i> (film) 2013 film by Ric Roman Waugh

Snitch is a 2013 American action thriller film directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Dwayne Johnson, based on the experiences of DEA informant James Settembrino. The film was released in the United States on February 22, 2013. The film also stars Barry Pepper, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Benjamin Bratt, and Michael Kenneth Williams. The plot focuses on John Matthews, who goes undercover for the DEA after his estranged son Jason Collins is framed in a drug deal by his best friend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Craig Zahler</span> American writer and director

Steven Craig Zahler is an American screenwriter, film director, novelist, and composer. After beginning his career working briefly as a cinematographer, Zahler focused on screenwriting until he made his directorial debut with Bone Tomahawk (2015). He followed this up with Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) and Dragged Across Concrete (2018), all of which he wrote and composed the music for. He has also authored several novels.

<i>The Edge of Seventeen</i> 2016 film by Kelly Fremon Craig

The Edge of Seventeen is a 2016 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, in her directorial debut. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Haley Lu Richardson.

Six is an American military drama television series. The series was ordered by the History Channel with an eight-episode initial order. The first two episodes were directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. Six premiered on January 18, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik LaRay Harvey</span> American actor (born 1972)

Erik LaRay Harvey is an American actor known for his roles as Dunn Purnsley in Boardwalk Empire, Willis Stryker / Diamondback in Luke Cage, and his role in The Charnel House (2016).

<i>Stray Bullets</i> (film) 2016 American film

Stray Bullets is a 2016 American thriller film written, directed, edited, and composed by Jack Fessenden. Fessenden also produced it with his parents, Larry Fessenden and Beck Underwood. The film stars Jack Fessenden and Asa Spurlock as two teenagers who encounter, and are kidnapped by, mobsters played by James LeGros, Larry Fessenden, and John Speredakos. It premiered at the Oldenburg International Film Festival on September 16, 2016, and was released in the US on February 10, 2017.

Eban and Charley is a 2000 independent drama film written and directed by James Bolton. It follows the romantic relationship between Eban, a 29-year-old gay man, and Charley, a 14-year-old boy. Despite being about a very controversial topic, the film addresses these issues in a low-key, relaxed manner. The film also addresses the consequences that Eban and Charley's relationship provokes with their parents. Its plot is based on an incident in which one of Bolton's friends was dumped by his older boyfriend, because their parents did not approve of their age disparity.

References

  1. Murthi, Vikram (October 7, 2016). "'The Charnel House' Exclusive Trailer: A Slaughterhouse-Turned-Loft-Space Haunts Its New Tenants". IndieWire . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  2. McNary, Dave (June 30, 2015). "Callum Blue, Nadine Velazquez Starring in Drama 'The Charnel House'". Variety . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  3. Busch, Anita (June 30, 2015). "Callum Blue & Nadine Velazquez Enter 'The Charnel House'; 'Batkid Begins' Expands Its Wings – Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  4. "'The Charnel House' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. Anderson, Derek (November 3, 2016). "Q&A with THE CHARNEL HOUSE Director Craig Moss". Daily Dead (Interview). Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. "The Charnel House". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  7. Murray, Noel (November 3, 2016). "Review: Bloody history of 'The Charnel House' fails to muster much horror". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  8. Keogh, Tom (November 3, 2016). "'The Charnel House': a haunted tale with some meat". The Seattle Times . Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  9. McDonagh, Maitland (November 3, 2016). "Film Review: The Charnel House". Film Journal International . Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. Peterson, Aaron B. (October 30, 2016). "The Charnel House (2016) | Film Review". The Hollywood Outsider. Retrieved April 28, 2023.