Better Late Then Never

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Buffalo's haunted house has an altar that will open the gates of hell. Some demons slip through and kill people before opening night.This is the same group of people who did "House of Horrors: The Movie." Daniel Monroe is also responsible for "Fairy Tale Theater: The Movie" and "Shoot-Out: 50 Years of the Whacky Wild West" apparently under the impression that another worth doing will have a colon in the title. The horror house itself looked fairly cool with neat effects. However those effects are not realistic enough to use as horror film props, like the dead guy on the roof which looked like such a prop. The plot was simple enough and the ending a bit stupid involving a discussion of the definition of "resolved." Guide: F-word. No sex. Brief picture nudity.

"House of Horrors - The Gates of Hell" is a tale of bad acting, stupid dialogue, superior monster costumes and masks, and some really above-average "background" decorations. Unfortunately, it just could not raise itself above too many actors--and I use that term REAL loosely--who could not act their way out of a paper bag.I have always enjoyed the premise of a haunted house. As a kid, I couldn't wait until the local one opened (and it was pure cheese), and went over and over and over! Something that always gets the hair on the back of my neck to stand is the feeling that something is BEHIND me; creeps me out every time. From the get-go, the viewer can tell this production had a limited budget. It takes place in an actual "haunted house" somewhere in New York, so you've got your set, costumes, makeup, and actors on hand. The movie opens with an electrician showing up to inspect all aspects of the house to make sure everything is up to snuff. He's the first to go. It was after that scene that the movie really took a nose dive for me. A plot that is just all over the place, poor editing (one second it's storming; the next the sun is shining), and then there is the acting, or lack thereof. All characters seemed to be one second off delivering their lines. You can tell most of them had never attended any acting class; however, several had mastered the "dumb looks/blank stares" method. I found myself cringing on more than one occasion. All characters are just introduced to be offed, usually via CGI. The version of the movie I saw is rated "R" for scary images, language, and gore.

You are never sure what you can expect from the low budget movies but I can promise you that for its faults; this one is a wild ride. The story line was fantastic. It was like being in a haunted house that is in a haunted house itself. The acting was sub par and when the leads talked about auditions for amateurs - I'm sure that line had been used by the casting team for the movie. At first I was put off by the demon's voice but for whatever reason it became more and more effective as the movie progressed. Tim, the owner of the Horror House, had a fantastic subplot of his own at the end and I wish they had enlarged upon it. But my favorite part were all of the furnishings and characters in the Horror House itself. Very effective and very scary; sometimes even terrifying. There is a twist at the end which you may or may not see coming, but whether or not you do, you'll leave this movie thinking about whether you really want to visit a Haunted House come Halloween.

It makes perfect sense that these guys running this attraction would make movies! They have the skill, the staff, the killer backgrounds and location and, thanks to CGI, the tools to create. "House Of Horrors: Gates Of Hell" has a cool, complex story with plenty of drama and suspense. The comic relief takes away a lot of the scare factor but let's face it-the story is as sensational as the surroundings. The guys up in this New York haunted location have created a Fun House Of Hell that looks amazing with some awesome props and concepts. The acting and direction are both a bit above low budget armature ability. The acting does suffer somewhat as it becomes obvious most of the cast are just trying not to forget their lines. Some of the cast members give natural, noteworthy performances. The line delivery and creation of a paranormal story that all give in "Gates Of Hell" is very present, and gives us Monroe's intended nightmare. The directing is proper! It is a classic design for setting up straight forward scenes that aren't cramped with a bunch of camera trick- artsy styled-flavor of the moment concepts. The film is given to us in traditional, clean shot horror style that moves seamlessly even if the acting and effects aren't stellar in a lot of the scenes. Now about the special effects, "House Of Horrors: Gates Of Hell" does rely a bit too much on that nasty companion of modern film- making, CGI. In some of the scenes the lower scale computer effects are acceptable. Mostly the supernatural or paranormal elements. However the CGI blood, decaps and such is really a tacky approach considering the obvious talent attached to the project. If you can let that be okay- and with this film I think most people can-then "House Of Horrors: Gates Of Hell" is a fun, horror story that is meant to entertain and showcase the real star-the House Of Horrors haunted attraction. Check this one out it is a nice indie horror comedy with some awesome location and background shots.