THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED

Produced and Directed by Mark and John Polonia

Written by John Polonia
Edited by Paul Alan and J.J. Josephs
Director of Photography - Matthew S. Smith

Marty Beck - Bob Dennis
Mr. Kilpatrick - Stevan Anselmi

I never thought I would say this about a Polonia Brothers movie, but "wow, this one was pretty good." From the creepy introductory sequence, until the intelligent and well thought out ending, this is one engaging movie.

Then again, I'm a sucker for a good haunted house movie, so what do I know…

Horror Novelist Marty Beck recently lost his wife and son in a fire. Trying to cope, he does the only thing he can, he throws himself into his work. While he can't escape the nightmares, at least he can take his mind off the loss during the day.

Having penned the hits FEEDERS 1-3, Beck's new book is a haunted house opus titled Terror House. To find inspiration, Beck rents a real a place in the middle of nowhere, a supposedly real haunted house with a number of ghosts. The most dangerous of which is an 8-year old suicide victim whose grisly demise we see in the film's opening minutes.

The child isn't the only spirit trapped in the home. Beck's son is there too, and so is the specter of a Civil War casualty who tells us that the house if literally overflowing with astral guests stuck in limbo. The only way for any of them to move on to the next level of existence is for Beck to take their place in the house.

For a Polonia Bros. project, the film is unusually philosophical and personal. Beck waxes on about topics such as existence and life after death. What he thought was possible and what wasn't. What roles we all have to play in the grand scheme of things. Most of Beck's banter we've heard before, but occasionally Beck hits a cord close to home. In the end, even I was moved enough to reflect on my roles in life.

Having seen FEEDERS and BLOOD RED PLANET, it didn't seem possible that the Polonia's were capable of intelligent, cutting edge cinema. I guess everyone has at least one good project in them. If only all the Polonia movies achieved this level of quality...

DVD Review

The good thing about going back and reviewing the dvds of previously reviewed vhs screeners is that I get to re-read what I wrote months, and even years, prior. Often these second looks change my opinion, and usually for the better. Seeing these movies again allow me to catch elements I missed before and learn a little more about the filmmakers were trying to do.

Re-reading original HOUSE THAT SCREAMED review I've learned that I'm the world's biggest asshole. What a slap in the face to Mark and John, two extremely nice guys who once welcomed me into Polonia-land when they were helping Max Cerchi edit CARNAGE ROAD. "It didn't seem possible that the Polonia's were capable of intelligent, cutting-edge cinema." Did I really write that? I'm embarrassed and need to apologize to both of those guys. But the fact that the Po-bro's are incredibly nice has nothing to do with whether I like their movies or not. From the few Polonia projects I've seen, the movies generally fail on some level, but that's no excuse for being mean on my part, especially when I like the movie and consider it their best work.

Whether one likes their movies or not, the Polonia Bros. are arguably the most financially successful micro-budget moviemakers out there with almost all of their 20+ movies receiving distribution on some level, either national or international. With as many movies as they have under their belts, you can almost assuredly learn something from their experience. That experience is shared on the dvd release for THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED in the form of an easy-going, self-deprecating commentary with the brothers, their DP Matthew S. Smith, and actor Bob Dennis.

The dvd also treats viewers to two behind-the-scenes featurettes, one making-of the comes complete with formal interviews, and the second a behind-the-scenes documentary taped during the final day of shooting. Depending on how you view the information, it can be considered either how to or how not to make a movie on 16mm for no money. The total budget for this movie, according to the commentary, comes to $6000. I know SoV productions that have run more expensive.

The remainder of the disc is frilly with fun odds and ends including a "tour of the house that screamed," similar to Scooter McCree's SHATTER DEAD tour, a trailer vault of up-coming Polonia releases, out takes, and a stills gallery. Unlike the SCRAPBOOK dvd, the presentation is top notch and reminiscent of the Sub Rosa discs I've grown to love. The fact that the movie is some scary fun makes everything all the better.

Sub Rosa Studios
Dead Alive - original vhs distributor