'Dream House' Gets Eviction Notice from Critics, Moviegoers

If you're like me, you've been watching the trailers and clips from "Dream House" for the past few months with visions of "The Shining" floating through your head. It's something about the two little girls holding hands. They conjure images of the ones standing in the hallway trying to get Danny Torrance to play with them in that spectacular Stanley Kubrick film. What sort of reaction did the movie conjure among critics and moviegoers?

Personally, I thought "Dream House" was an entertaining film. It definitely keeps you successfully wondering what's real and what isn't. It also has some very effective jump scenes. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that the movie suffered post-production storyline tinkering and a fair amount of pick-up shoots.

I don't think the version of "Dream House" we see on the screen is the same one director Jim Sheridan had in mind when he signed up to make this film. When a movie struggles to reach a 90-minute running time, you know there was trouble somewhere along the way.

Critics wanted to tear down "Dream House." Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman declared, "This suburban gothic is a logy, convoluted mess." Robert Koehler of Variety said, "Daniel Craig does everything to dispel comparisons to Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' with a finely tuned performance, but the film flattens as it tries to explain his character's psychological state." Film.com's Eric D. Snider commented, "There are probably some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that would explain why 'Dream House' is such a ruined pile of nonsense."

There were very few reviewers who would move into "Dream House." Movieline's Stephanie Zacharek stated, "Director Jim Sheridan and his actors make you believe in it." Scott Nash of Three Movie Buffs reported, "Clearly it's one of those movies being dumped in September, but thanks to the cast, I was never bored.

Most audiences were displeased with "Dream House" as well. Misty G. stated, "I was bored during this movie. Not scary AT ALL! Very predictable. Basically the movie sucked." Gannon M. related, "AWFUL!!! I've seen high school level student films with better writing. I've read children's books with fewer cliches."

Adam L. said, "The scariest thing... was when I discovered to my own shock and disbelief that acclaimed director Jim Sheridan was responsible for this confounding mess of a movie... the real problem... is in the script... fails on practically all levels, with the exception of its good looking production values, which aren't enough to save the rest of it."

A few moviegoers felt "Dream House" was worth a visit. Ryan A. remarked, "Seriously have no idea why people are hating on it. The film was made to be intentionally confusing at times, but the story was compelling and the acting believable." Maxwell H. said, "Well-told and extremely well-shot by director Jim Sheridan… actually builds suspense instead of the show and tell of the awful hand-held horror era. Probably the best horror movie of the year." Valerie H. commented, "Critics are way too harsh on this one... most definitely a psychological thriller rather than a horror movie... Daniel Craig and company gave great performances."

Jim Sheridan directed "Dream House." It stars Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, and Rachel Fox. The movie is rated PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality, and brief strong language. It was released through Universal Pictures on September 30, 2011.

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Eric Shirey is the founder and editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! TV, Associated Content from Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, KISSOnline.com, and other national entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Gerard Butler, Brooke Shields, Brendan Fraser, Michelle Monaghan, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Gene Simmons, Ashley Tisdale, Selena Gomez and many more.

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