Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1594350043

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Prequel to Rose Red, May 24, 2004

By 

Allison Fox "Film Fanatic & Philosopher" (Fairfax Station, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (DVD)

I agree with some of the other critiques - I'm not sure how well this movie is made in terms of explaining the background of the story. Rose Red was scary. Diary is more like a documentary almost. More drama than horror. It mainly has to do with a husband and wife ... the wife is permissive and the husband is a jerk who sleeps with other women. Not sure what that has to do with the house exactly. I thought they should have focused more on how the house first became haunted. I feel there should be a prequel to the prequel now. To explain in more detail what occurred BEFORE all of this. Like before the house was built. What was there beforehand (like a cemetery, ancient burial grounds, etc.) and why is it haunted in the first place. It was not scary. It wasn't really even suspenseful. It did keep me interested through the whole movie though and the actress that played Ellen Rimbauer I thought was quite good. I would suggest seeing this movie if you are a big fan of Rose Red though because it does explain SOME things ... I wish they would make a sequel too though. "Rose Red: Part Two - Revenege of the House", maybe?

As far as the DVD itself goes, what someone else mentioned is true. If you click on Scene Selections, instead of the scenes for the Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, there are scenes from another movie. Which is a pretty major mistake, I say! No one in production caught that??? Come on, that's a pretty big thing to mess up. Unless... they did it on purpose.... I mean, this is Stephen King we're talking about. ;) I plan on writing to the production company to try and figure out the mystery identity of the Scene Selection mess-up. I'll update when I find out which move it is!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you haven't read the book . . ., June 4, 2004

By 

Torrena Dye "adagio assai" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (DVD)

If you haven't read the book then you'd be quite lost and quite disapointed. If you've read the book, well then, you would not be lost but you'd be disapointed at how many elements were left out. Especially the relationship between Ellen and Sukeena. Many even question why Sukeena ended up in Rose Red in the first place or what was the connection between the two ladies and the fact that their relationship was a lot more intimate . . . those things are revealed in the book.

The fact that Mr. Rimbauer's passions were feeding the house was only touched upon in passing in the movie, but the book lets you know that it was far more complicated then that.

I would suggest that one read the book before seeing the movie(or after, if you've already seen it and then re-watch it- it'll make sense then)

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars MISSES A GOOD DEAL OF THE DETAIL AND SPIRIT OF THE BOOK..., June 20, 2005

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (DVD)

I've got to give this movie adaptation of Ridley Pearson's book a nod. They tried. They gave this B-movie all the opportunity to succeed.

It just falls short.

Keeping some theme music from its TV-movie ancestor (Rose Red) and getting the same chick to play Sukeena are both HUGE plusses. However, Ellen and especially John are miscast (though both actors soldier through.)

The problem with the movie is that it lacks the feeling of claustrophobia that dominates the book.

What Rose Red owes to The Haunting of Hill House, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer owes to Rebecca. And maybe super-smooth production values just don't cut it with a child of Rebecca.

All the same, it was fun to watch this book saunter around in movie clothes. But dressing up a book--even a strong one--in movie clothes does not necessarily make it a good movie.

Watch this movie if you liked the book. Just don't expect too much.