''Dark House'' (also known as ''Haunted'') is a 2014 American

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Victor Salva Victor Ronald Salva (born March 29, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter and convicted sex offender. The self-described protégé of Francis Ford Coppola, he is best known for writing and directing the horror film, horror films ''Jeep ...

and starring

Tobin Bell Tobin Bell (born Joseph Henry Tobin Jr.; August 7, 1942) is an American actor. Appearing in over 100 titles during a five-decade career, he is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the ''Saw'' franchise. Bell started his a ...

Lesley-Anne Down Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress and singer. She made her motion picture debut in the 1969 drama film '' The Smashing Bird I Used to Know'' and later appeared in films ''Assault'' (1971), '' Countess Dracula'' (1971) a ...

and

Luke Kleintank Luke Kleintank (born May 18, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for playing Finn Abernathy on ''Bones'', Tyler Harne in the 2015 film ''Max'', Joe Blake in the Amazon series ''The Man in the High Castle'', and as of 2021 FBI Special Agent Sc ...

. The film follows a man named Nick Di Santo, who discovers that not only is his long-lost father alive, but that he may be able to explain the source of his

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to ...

abilities.

Plot

The film tells the story of Nick Di Santo (Kleintack), who is tormented by his ability to touch someone and see exactly how they will die. On his 23rd birthday, Nick is summoned by his mother Lillian (Down) to the asylum where she has been institutionalized since his childhood. Hoping that her request to see him is a sign of improvement, Nick is stunned by her revelation that the father he thought was long dead is really alive, and that he may know the origin of Nick's terrible gift. Nick sets out to find his father Seth with his best friend Ryan (Anthony Rey Perez) and girlfriend Eve (

Alex McKenna Alex McKenna is an American actress and voice-over artist. She gained fame by playing Petunia Stupid in ''The Stupids'' (1996) and Mickey Apple in '' You Wish'' (1997). She resumed her acting career with guest appearances in The CW hit teen dram ...

). Every road they take on the journey leads them back to the same abandoned mansion—a house that only existed in Nick's childhood imagination, or so he thought. Finally succumbing to the will of the house, Nick becomes embroiled in a battle with a dark figure (Bell).

Cast

as Nick Di Santo *

as Eve *Anthony Rey Perez as Ryan *

Zack Ward Zacharias Ward is a Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Scut Farkus in the 1983 film '' A Christmas Story'' and its 2022 sequel '' A Christmas Story Christmas''. Early life Ward was born on August 31 in either 1970 or 1973 in Toronto, Ont ...

as Chris McCulluch *Lacey Anzelc as Lillith *Ethan S. Smith as Sam *

as Lilian Di Santo *

as Seth *

Charles Agron Charles Agron is an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor working in horror film, horror and Thriller film, thriller. He frequently works with Tobin Bell, Lance Henriksen, and Don E. FauntLeRoy. Career In his early career, Agron made ma ...

as Lucky *Daniel Ross Owens as Brian Maker *

Max Gail Maxwell Trowbridge Gail Jr. (born April 5, 1943) is an American actor who has starred on stage, and in television and film roles. He is best known for his role as Detective Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz on the sitcom ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1982 ...

as Scott *

Patricia Belcher Patricia Belcher is an American film, stage and television actress, known for her roles as Mrs. Dabney in the Disney Channel sitcom '' Good Luck Charlie'', and as United States Attorney Caroline Julian in the FOX crime procedural comedy-drama ...

as Lee Knox *Tony Sanford as Ben *Cameron Spann as Robin

Reception

Critical reception for ''Dark House'' has been predominantly negative and the film holds a rating of 9% on review aggregate

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, with an average rating of 2.8/10, based on 11 reviews. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' both panned the film, with the latter stating that "The generic title is not even the most unimaginative element of this overstuffed, cliche-ridden horror film."

Nerdist News ''Nerdist News'' is a Nerdist-branded pop culture newsletter launched in February 2012. It was founded and operated by Nerdist Industries' CEO, Peter Levin, and its CCO, Chris Hardwick. It was hosted by Jessica Chobot. Publication The cross ...

also criticized the film, as they felt that it contained too many elements that "merely clutters up a film that might find more power in being simple." As is common with Salva's films, some critics, such as John Squires of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

, refused to review the film based on the director's criminal convictions for child molestation and child pornography.

References

External links

* * {{Victor Salva 2014 films 2014 horror thriller films 2010s supernatural films American horror thriller films American haunted house films American supernatural horror films Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by Victor Salva Films shot in Mississippi 2010s supernatural horror films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language horror thriller films