Director: Rodrigo Gudiño
Studio: Rue Morgue Cinema, Someone At The Door Productions
Leon, an antiques collector (Aaron Poole) inherits the castle-esque, eccentrically decorated home of his Mother following her death. The home, strewn with religious icons; including a multitude of angelic statues, leads him to consider placing all of the priceless antiques on the market. As Leon discovers the house and begins to take inventory, his Mother, Rosalind Leigh delivers the story of her live via monologue to her son. The monologue illustrates the despair and loneliness that she feels after he rejects both her and her cult-like faith due to negative religious experiences he endured as a child. With her faith destroyed by the fact that Leon will never return again to her life or regain his faith, she relies on an imagined life that eventually supplants her deeply-held faith. She eventually succumbs to her loneliness and ends her life. At the same time that Rosalind delivers this narration, Leon deals with his own feelings of guilt and grief, and he discovers that his mother was the anonymous benefactor that had been purchasing all of his artwork. When Leon faces his own demons in the house, both figuratively and literally, he comes across a book and audio tape on how to contact the dead through meditation. After an attempt at practicing the methods taught on the tape, Leon soon finds himself immersed in the spirit realm, opening doorways to a darkness far more menacing than the guilt, remorse, and grief that exists within him. After he begins to experience unexplained events within and around the home, he turns to Anna, a consistently ambiguous figure throughout the film, that he contacts through his cell phone. Anna, who identifies herself as a doctor, talks Leon through two stressful situations which, through her guidance, Leon eventually interprets as severe hallucinations. Ultimately, Leon is able to work through his issues, and he notifies his broker that he wants to place all of the artwork back on the market. As he leaves the house, Leon's mother calls out to him, and watches forlornly from the window as he leaves both the home, and her lonely spirit behind him.
Mike's Thoughts:
Although this movie was released in 2012, I just so happened to stumble upon it recently. Through my curiosity and might I add, some skepticism following a slew of recently watched disappointing horror films barely warranting mention, I happened to stumble upon a true masterpiece. This film was exhilarating. From the creepy and patina-laden landscape of the home and its treasures, to the underlying back story surrounding fanatical religious abuse and the uncovering of mysteries surrounding the death of the protagonist's Father, this movie kept me on the edge of my imagination, and then delivered just as I had hoped that it would.
Look For:
Golden eyes from the shadows emerging just to take a little lick.
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