7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penny Dreadful: a review, July 11, 2007
This review is from: Penny Dreadful (DVD)
The name PENNY DREADFUL has turned up numerous times in the horror genre. There's the feature film that's part of the After Dark Horrorfest (which I haven't seen at the time of this review) as well as the late night TV troupe that brings back the tradition of horror themed hosts of classic chillers. Nonetheless, it was at the Rhode Island International Film Festival last October where I was encountered by this short film, and it intrigued me with its casting of FRIDAY THE 13TH alumni. The worst thing I found about this movie was the title itself.
Bryan Norton's PENNY DREADFUL, funded by an award grant from Warner Brothers, is the perfect example of how a short horror film should look and feel. Rich in texture with beautiful photography, the film is about Jessica Clausen (Emily Vacchiano) who with her husband David (Sebastian Lacause) inherits a house that they cannot afford to live in, so they hope to repair it to sell it for a higher market value. At night, Jessica begins to see some startling visions of a violent shooting mixed in with other ghostly scares. She gets freaked to the point of hiring a psychic (Betsy Palmer) who assures Jessica the house is fine but secretly does her fastest to get out of there, sensing danger. Images of blown off heads, blood, and impalements soon follow, slowly descending Jessica to madness.
The acting is top notch for a short production, and it's mainly due to the females. Emily Vacchiano is excellent in the lead role of Jessica and presents a believability in her approach to the strange happenings inside the house, slowly turning to dementia when nobody believes her. The legendary Betsy Palmer shows her sweet side in her role as psychic Trudie Treadwell, still commanding screen presence at the age of 80. It's mainly a one scene performance, but an essential one that is fit for a pro like Palmer. Sebastian Lacause is fine, but really not given much more than to react to Jessica's behavior. Warrington Gillette, one of the Jasons in FRIDAY THE 13th PART 2, makes his first appearance since that film playing a prickly investor interested in buying the house from the Clausens. Whereas Palmer was exceptional in her role, this was more of a stunt casting to appease FRIDAY fans (Not that there's anything wrong with that. As a filmmaker, I'd do the same for sure). The super sexy Tina Krause, always appealing on screen, is given a thankless role as Jessica's friend and co-worker who offers advice on how to handle the happenings in the house.
The best part about PENNY DREADFUL is that it features one of the most unexpected and surprising climaxes I've seen in quite some time. Without revealing the spoiler, I found myself thinking it was so simple I was surprised I had never seen this before in a film. The film benefits also with great special and visual effects, though more on the effects side. Yes, there is CGI used in this film, but it's used quite well here, especially in one gory sequence involving a lot of blood and broken shards of glass.
In all, PENNY DREADFUL is about as good as you can get for a pure ghostly horror film. However, I don't understand why it's titled this at all. The original title was BAD HOUSE and fits more with the story. Being that PENNY DREADFUL has been used in many incarnations, it didn't make sense to me. It doesn't detract from being a good film though and one that FRIDAY fans, as well as general horror fans, should want to check out.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Late Night Horror Film..., August 13, 2007
This review is from: Penny Dreadful (DVD)
Surprisingly good lil' horror film. Betsy Palmer was perfectly cast. Great as a late night scary movie. Why arnt more films like this?
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
movie, October 20, 2009
This review is from: Penny Dreadful (DVD)
penny dreadfull was a good movie only not long enough. the story was fair but it just was over to quick.. but still wroth a look..
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