Playhouse (2020) User Reviews

Haunted manors

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 18 November 2020]

Jack Travis (William Holstead) is a horror writer working on his new play in an ancient castle that is starting to possess his teenage daughter Bee (Grace Courtney). You know how those old manors go - all the supernatural beings within the walls looking to ruin lives.

Written, produced and directed by Toby and Fionn Watts, this tells the tale of a young man who was walled inside said castle that has been able to kill from beyond. I've said it before, I'll say it again, if you have writer's block, do not go to a haunted castle, hotel or house in the hopes that it will lead to you writing the great American novel.

This movie switches main characters at some point, so don't get used to the hero, the heroine or even the antagonist. That said, it sure looks pretty and has plenty of gothic atmosphere. So once you move from father and son to Jenny (Helen Mackay) and Callum (James Rottger), just try to stay with it.

Better than the usual tripe...

[nickyb-79131 · 5/10 · 22 November 2020]

... That is made in the UK as horror. Good stylised camera work, sound and ambience but ultimately feels like a tv production than a cinematic experience. Goes for eerie rather than truly horrifying through most of the time.

Dull: The Movie

[haskel-72951 · 4/10 · 25 March 2021]

No need to go out of your way to see this. You've already seen it, many times, all done better than this. Low budget indie from the UK, with nothing original to say, I cannot recommend watching it.

Someone wake me up when it's over

[jstlucas · 2/10 · 3 December 2020]

Reading the other reviews, I wonder if I watched a different movie. My wife and I thought the castle itself was really neat, but the story line itself just crawls, slowly, slowly. We thought something was going to happen and then saw there was only 20 minutes left in the film, by then we were just waiting for it to end. It wouldn't have been bad if the story had some suspense to it, and we just really could not care less what happened to ANYONE in the film so no investment in characters.

Total trash

[RandomTard · 2/10 · 22 August 2021]

I regret watching this movie. It was really bad. The story was a mess that made no sense and the characters didn't act like humans. Whoever wrote this nonsense clearly has never seen a human. Also the sound fx were bad and too loud.

Scary stopped here😴

[BrodyQuint · 2/10 · 4 February 2021]

Hands down one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I watched every minute of it. I find it hard to believe this film belongs in the Thriller/Horror genre. There simply wasn't anything scary about it. My favorite genre has always been horror and the only terrifying aspect of this movie is it never got better, from it's acting to it's plot until it's last minute it just never got better and I watched every minute so I gave it every chance to impress. My rating 2 out of 10 is for the effort the film crew and cast put forward. This movie was bad but hey they did make a film, a really bad film but you can't give up, on to the next...

Wasted Concept

[peterDM-30380 · 2/10 · 21 March 2021]

I thought this movie had a good concept and a great setting. It's a shame it was wasted on what seemed to be bad editing and one of the worst performances by a leading man ever on film.

Horrifying!

[twelve-house-books · 1/10 · 10 March 2021]

This movie is truly horrifying. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. And such potential, too, but when I was asked to believe that a walled-up little boy from the late 19th century could procreate descendants to our own day, my head cracked open and I bled out with the sheer stupidity of the idea. Or, isn't that what was happening? Surely it wasn't the dead girl at the bottom of the stairs later giving birth to descendants? Waste of time, money, acting talent, etc.

Possibly worth watching

[duckman_079 · 5/10 · 10 April 2021]

The scenery and castle were nice to see. The acting was certainly decent if not good. The story wasn't spectacular, but that's not why I watch these. Although there were a couple of creepy parts that were good, it could have used some more horror aspects. It's definitely worth watching if you aren't looking for an enthralling movie.

One Great scary movie

[roger_2020 · 18 November 2020]

I found Playhouse to be very scary and very entertaining. It was very suspenseful and the special effects were incredible This movie has been my favorite horror movie in november 2020. i have a huge tolerance for horror movies and scary stuff in general, and this is the ONLY movie that has ever really scared me. so if you're looking for a good scare GET UP RIGHT NOW AND GO SEE IT!!! 10/10

This will be brief.

[berg-74532 · 3/10 · 3 January 2022]

Nothing new or interesting in anyway except one incredibly common bit of modern movie nonsense was flipped, it's usual that you have a woman who's in her late 20's in real life having college aged children it was the father in this movie and it added a girl in her late 20's as a high schooler so the age gap made even less sense than normal. The setting was excellent but it was as this movies sole redeeming quality.

Well-developed first film

[christopherkeane-12848 · 10/10 · 19 December 2020]

A watchable and entertaining first film by the Watts Brothers. The character development and use of lighting in the scenes stood out, especially in the castle. Overall, a good cast, especially the main actor who played Jack. The Watts brothers really capture the beauty but also the fear and fright of the highlands of Scotland. You could hear the raw of the sea attacking the castle, resembling Jack's internal collision of reality and creativity, and the conflict of the past being repeated in the present. The dynamics and chemistry between Jack and Jenny was also well delineated. And the question was asked, who was losing touch with reality more - Jenny or Travis? Jenny appeared equally driven and pressurised to hide the past, whilst Jack was committed to bringing it into existence - and this was well scripted and brought to live in the film. A good example of a folie à deux if there ever happened to be one. I'd really recommend giving the film a go. Just be careful when you next book a week end away in a castle - and stay away from any writing, whilst staying close to the fire and whisky.

Entertaining slow burner

[neilfrancis2 · 7/10 · 29 August 2020]

This worked for me. A good, slow building, stylish, supernatural movie that builds to a satisfying finish. The acting was good, William Holstead does a fine balancing act in the lead and keeps it just on the right side. Helen Mackay is terrific as Jenny (tho a course in how to use a sledgehammer wouldn't go amiss.) It also has a wonderful setting that is uses to full advantage. All round a fine debut feature from the Watts bros.

😴 boring movie

[drafaquerana · 1/10 · 2 September 2021]

This is the worst movie on the name of horror So i suggest you not to watch this movie Very slow 🐌 story.

Castle

[Stanlee107 · 5/10 · 29 November 2020]

For a Scottish film this is not too bad. This is no train spotters. It feels like it was inspired by a play & a recent from that I have watched. Nonetheless it is a decent low budget film. The various characters are realistic and very British. It is inoffensive but I would not say it is scary at all. It's focus is on the psychological elementsb rather than it and it scares.

trash

[l-msferreira · 1/10 · 12 December 2020]

Wish i could rate 0 but i cant so this is my review. worst movie i've ever seen in my life

Wish i could act...

[berrymactavish · 5/10 · 7 December 2020]

Story twisted around a writer who moves into a Scottish castle with his daughter to write a new play... well, about the the 'Jack' character... The performances through the film isn't strong... about the horror side of the movie, you'll see few paranormal activities... but, not very impressive... overall this is a watchable horror movie... even if it has some great idea doesn't get scares it would like

Started out interesting...

[eirwen-42548 · 5/10 · 21 March 2021]

But the ending is so abrupt that it feels like the last 4 or 5 minutes of the movies are missing.

Stars are given based on my personal enjoyment of the film and plot.

5 - Meh, just ok. Decent concept but either I wasn't a fan of the direction the story went or it was so predictable that watching wasn't necessary to know what was going to happen. Production could be anywhere from terrible to terrific. I wouldn't rewatch.

Deserving of its win as best thriller

[penelopemiddelboe · 10/10 · 3 December 2020]

Stays with you for days! Excellent concept, screenplay, direction, set design and performances.

i wish i had a manor like that...

[ops-52535 · 6/10 · 17 November 2020]

With meter thick stonewalls, crypts and spiraling steep staircases, with corridors ending in a wall of newlaid stones, that hides the secrets of a grueling past, its almost like shakespeares epic story about a danish king at a stormy pit in the catholic scotland....anyway its not mine but the landscape is in fact just like where i live, with blistering wind over the foaming waves by the shoals near the end of the world, where the director has mended an impressing product of light and dark, love and hate and heaven and hell. the use of different camera angles makes you feel like a fly on the wall, the fast shifting settings makes you feel insecure, and the scares...well that depends on how drunk or shroomed you are.

but its a slowburning quasihorror flick, that may have a fuse thats to long for the adrenaline seekers among us. though there arent any significant flaws in the production nor in the cast, it will be put in the neverending story bin, a bin that 50% of decently made horror flicks will lay and decay.

but by all means its hi above the new normal of british filmproductions these days, so its a small recommend from the grumppy old man

Outstanding debut feature

[danthesnake-81834 · 9/10 · 18 September 2020]

Clever story telling combined with highly effective use of the location and music for building suspense and atmosphere. The lead actors all delivered very good performances to make this a gripping supernatural thriller.

It was a dark and stormy night

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 28 November 2020]

Horror story playwright Jack Travis (William Holstead ) buys the Burnvalwick Castle in remote Scotland. He moves in with his daughter Belith (Grace Courtney) or Bee for short. Jack is writing a play about the horrific events that happened in the castle, said to be haunted. Alister was naughty boy and told people at a dinner party that the maid was his real mother. His father, in Poe like fashion, walled him up in the basement. The story claims the boy made a deal with the devil to get out and take revenge on everyone who knew he was there and did not help him. Jack wants to convert the castle into an attraction.

The story was a bit different. I didn't love the actors or characters. What they really needed to do was for Jack to go through with his plan early in the film and have the demon go after the voluptuous tourists. I gave the film points for story uniqueness, but execution left much to be desired.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

On a side note Belith was never really a demon. According to Sayce, she was created out of a grammatical misunderstanding. The Sumerian god Bel of the ghost world was gender neutral. The Akkadians translated Bel into both a male and a female wife Belit. She really didn't exist. The Hebrews added the "h' on the end.

Edge of your seat supernatural horror/thriller!!

[jennipringle · 10/10 · 19 April 2021]

Absolutely loved this!!!

Couldn't take my eyes off this film from the moment it started right through to the last shot.

Wide shots of the beautiful Scottish castle against the dark overcast clouds sets the haunting atmosphere for this gripping story.

The intimate angles and sounds of footsteps on creaky floorboards makes you feel like you are right there in the castle with all of the mysterious characters. The castle almost becomes one of the characters with its twisting staircase and draughty doorways.

The film has been cast incredibly well with the daughter portraying a disturbed demeanour and the writer father taking us through the manic ups and downs of the creative process of writing his play. He is both entertaining to watch in moments of wrestling with fear and terror whilst elsewhere made us laugh out loud in other moments of humour and dark psychology.

The layers of the story are like a present with different layers of wrapping - you think you've opened all the layers until there's another one and another one. It's a treat to watch a film that keeps you guessing all the way to the end with its unpredictability and twists.

Playhouse deliciously provides all the jump out of your skin moments you hope for in a horror film.

Playhouse is a treat and a must watch!!

Enjoyable enough slow-burn ghost story

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 30 December 2020]

Stuck with writers' block during his new play, a writer takes his daughter to a remote castle on the coast to help with a new project, but his caretaker assistant holding him to his promise to finish the script as well as the secrets of the castles ancient past force everyone to confront the supernatural threats to get away alive.

This was a decent enough if slightly flawed genre effort. When this one works is mainly due to the atmosphere present throughout here which brings about shades and tones of the classic Gothic stories of the past. Featuring the usual requirements of the situation with the ragged stone walls, endless corridors, eerie wind blowing through the hallways and the need for an endless array of candles to light the way through the castle, this one manages to evoke a chilling feel that's at times outright chilling. It's the sort of ambiance that brings about the feeling that someone or something is lurking within the other side of the wall or around the next bend and helps to enhance the mood and tone quite readily throughout here. When it's all enhanced by the backstory to the castle her girlfriends reveal that adds a properly chilling turn on everything and the numerous slow shots of someone going through the building, this one feels quite the impressive effort. With this setup working, the slow-burn descent offers quite a lot of chilling aspects. The idea of the family still haunting the castle walls and causing all the damage within by turning her into a completely different person much as he does later on after performing the same ritual is a great way to build a tense atmosphere. The later series of supernatural hauntings here aren't that bad, as the exaggerated mannerisms and threatening with the way these continually build throughout the finale as things become much direr. With strange disappearances, threatening actions and a thrilling race to uncover the truth behind the dark secrets of the past all combine to make for a somewhat rousing and thrilling time with how it all comes together. These here give this one quite a lot to like even though there are some issues with this one. One of its main problems is the rather disjointed storyline that keeps switching back-and-forth between characters without much explanation. Given that the main focus is never entirely on either the father/daughter living in the castle or the neighbors living next door as they never really interact with each other only for a few quick remarks in terms of interaction that there's a rather odd shift in the narrative once it does this with very little actual purpose. The one we get isn't enough of an answer and it seems to shift back-and-forth to these people in ways that can make characters disappear from the film for long stretches of time. The other factor here is the distressingly slow-burn pace that can easily be seen as too slow to make a difference as the lack of constant scare attempts, lethargic tempo and low-key intensity from everyone involved can be a slough to get through. These factors are what hold this one back the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

Uneven horror.

[parry_na · 6/10 · 12 July 2021]

A beautifully directed production does its best to mask an uneven story involving an eccentric writer who moves himself and his daughter into a remote Scottish castle.

The characters are weird bunch. Bee Travis (Grace Courtney) is a petulant, bored, continually unimpressed, rude teen who does nothing whatsoever to endear herself to anyone. Her father, writer Jack, on whom the story focuses on too much, is impressively played by William Holstead; he drifts from endearing eccentricity to enraged madness, but becomes, dare I say, way too camp to be frightening.

Rather more appealing and believable are Callum and Jenny (James Rottger and Helen Mackay), who initially appear to also be in their teens, but are in fact a professional couple. When these two become embroiled in the creepiness, it is easier to care about them.

However, there is little pace and things meander rather than heading to any kind of climax. Bee becomes forgotten in the final third until the end, where a physical manifestation of evil finally materialises in its brief CGI glory.

This is interesting more than anything else; for Fionn Watts and Toby Watts, who write, produce and direct, 'Playhouse' appears to be a labour of love, and a commendable one at that, but somehow it misses its mark a little. My score is 6 out of 10.