Dwelling (2016) Poster

(2016)

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4/10
Could be great.
brokenmindrig13 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
First off. This movie has some genuinely creepy scenes done almost perfectly right. And that's about all. The actors are not particularly believable in their roles ; the husband or boyfriend or whatever has more connection and displays more affection to the niece than the aunt who is actually blood related. In fact, the aunt doesn't seem to really interact with the niece at all. We're expected to believe they are a couple but they don't kiss, Hold hands or touch hug or playfully banter. In fact it took me and the wife a small bit to figure out they were a couple.

The plot is elusive and nothing helps you want to grasp it. There's a room in a house they move in to, the door is blocked by something. The boyfriend husband person gets the door open only to find out there's a armoire that was blocking the door. No one is put off by how it got there as the room has only one entrance. Inside the room is a mirror that's been painted over with black paint. What does the couple do? Leave the mirror and turn it into the nieces room. No one is put off by the black mirror in this little girls room just sitting there being all malicious and foreboding and crap. That's the basic tone for the whole movie. Oh, and I'd like to point out that the mother of the niece is mentally ill. This is depicted by her hospital gown, that she always wears. Always. Not by the fact that she's in an asylum. >_>

Throw a qualified writer, good actors (not even great, just good), a better director at this thing and you can turn this c movie into an a plus theatrical release.
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5/10
Horror by numbers
brunovanael3 December 2020
Well acted, good atmosphere, some nice scares, but just very far from original to stand out or get a high score
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4/10
4 Stars for Good Acting
twelve-house-books18 October 2020
The actors were good, but the story is too hard to follow, even for a Horror film enthusiast like myself. I watched this film intently, and only came away with a bunch of interesting scary visuals but no real story to speak of--several stories, possibly, but amalgamated they make no sense. Erin Marie Hogan is super easy on the eyes, I will add, with her athletic body from head to toe in just about every scene, and believable acting skills.
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2/10
Boring
royeighmey11 January 2020
Low budget, slow go of a movie. Acting was terrible. Horror movie? Physiological thriller with a couple "scares" thrown in is a more suitable description. I suppose it was a nice try but falls well short of being good.
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8/10
Conjuring up spirits is rarely a good idea
Woodyanders7 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Troubled young lass Ellie (a fine and credible performance by Erin Maria Hogan) gains custody of her sweet niece Izzy (adorable Abigail Mary) after her unstable sister River (an excellent portrayal by Devanny Pinn) is institutionalized. Ellie moves into a haunted house with the specific intention of contacting the spirit of her deceased mother. However, Ellie winds up conjuring up the lethal ghost of a notorious serial killer instead.

Writer/director Kyle Mecca relates the absorbing story at a gradual pace, takes time to develop the characters, and expertly crafts a subtle and understated, yet still creepy and unsettling atmosphere. Moreover, Mecca brings a refreshing warmth and depth to the main characters while Ellie's obsessive need for closure gives this picture a considerable amount of real heart and poignancy. Fattie King is genuinely scary as the scrawny ghost of the serial killer. In addition, there are praiseworthy supporting contributions from Mu-Shaka Benson as Ellie's concerned nice guy husband Gavin, Phil Brown as friendly psychiatrist Dr. Brown and Alexandra Merrit Matthews as perky real estate agent Marcy. An on the money chiller.
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6/10
All up to you now.
nogodnomasters17 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Growing up Ellie (Erin Marie Hogan) and her sister River (Devanny Pinn) would see a creature, one that eventually would take their mother's life (Josie DiVincenzo). 16 years later Ellie wants closure with her mother and wants to contact her....so she purchases the Amara House which is known to be haunted. Along with her is her husband Gavin (Mu-Shaka Benson) and niece Izzy (Abigail Mary) who has her mother's gift of second sight. River is institutionalized.

The character introduction was light. The Amara house was briefly introduced thru a newspaper clipping during the credits and not by any single act which would have been better. I didn't like the piano sound track, but loved it when they played the drums. The drama scene in the bedroom between our couple was a flop. Everything in the film has been done before, so for seasoned horror film watchers this may be a yawn...the secret room, the mirror, the doll, the little girl.

Ellie reads her packed away occult book for what seemed like the first time. Izzy was okay as the little girl and might be outstanding with the right coaching. The film wasn't bad, but definitely needing some tweaking and a couple of more scenes.

Guide: no swearing sex or nudity.
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7/10
Actually pretty good
jimmyb-0329921 November 2019
I almost gave up in the first 10 mins but im glad i stuck with it.. Good creepy scences.Great booty shots throughout the entire movie!
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7/10
Genuinely creepy
hlebov16 November 2019
With a plot and setting that is far from original, "Dwelling" is able to inject a healthy dose of creepiness that makes up for most, but not all, of its flaws.

Mostly devoid of gore and jump scares, this film relies heavily on suspense and glimpses of terror. Those solely looking for gruesomeness will be sorely disappointed, but fans of the supernatural should find enough scares to make this worth a watch. I'll even give the film some credit for having more depth than most in the horror genre.

Now for the bad: the dialogue could not have been worse. I'm not convinced that the acting was all that bad, but the script left quite a bit to be desired. Plus, there were a few head scratching plot points that undoubtedly detracted from the film.

Despite the flaws, of which there were plenty, the evil did just enough to overcome and earn a respectable score. 6.5/10
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6/10
Fun! Nothing we have not seen before but...
bethsgem-1369311 June 2022
A good movie, good acting, we must remember how low budget these horrors are when viewing. I think they did an awesome job. I would recommend. Just watch. Great preforming it is worth the watch.
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7/10
Love the double meaning of the title
udar5513 October 2023
Sixteen years after her mother died in a fire, Ellie (Erin Marie Hogan) moves into a home with her husband and niece. While it appears that they are a happy family unit, Ellie has other plans as the house has the rep of being a haunted house and she is hoping to use it (and her gifted niece) as a conduit to contact her mother to find out what really happened that night. This is a decent little horror movie from debuting writer-director Kyle Mecca, who gets good performances and delivers some moody scenes in this Buffalo, New York lensed flick. I wouldn't say it is 100% successful as there are some narrative stumbles, but it plays it totally serious and I appreciated that. I actually feel sorry for flicks like this. First, it doesn't stand a chance in today's market flooded with thousands of streaming horror flicks, all with similar looking artwork (graphic designers for streaming horror films be feasting!). How can you catch anyone's attention? Second, if you do manage to capture someone, most likely they will not enjoy it because they are seeking bombastic James Wan-esque The Conjuring vibes that have faux exorcists turned into Avengers superheroes. This results in schizo review pages where some applauded the slow pace and care with characters, while others shout "booooooooooring!" Anyway, like I said it was decent.
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