Grey Wolf CosPlay™ - The Perfect House by: James Grey Wolf - 12 March, 2014 "The Perfect House"  - In this movie produced by Gratwick Films, you have an anthology of horror and psychological terror.  The film strategically delivers the inflection of a campy film effect, while simultaneously tapping into the psychological fear of your sub-conscious mind and your fears of the unknown.

Basic Outline

The story line is quite simple. You have a house that has some unique characteristics associated with place where numerous people have been murdered over a period of years. A brief glimpse of  latest tenants of the house and their uh..."cordial" neighbor is introduced to help establish a foundation to build your interest from.

The story then moves to the present. A couple interested in buying the house is given a tour with a clearly well endowed and unrestricted real estate agent, who indirectly hints she desires to provide more to the tour of the house than just details regarding the features of it.

As the couple proceeds through each section of the house, the husband begins asking questions which the real estate agent answers without giving the full details.  Each question serves as a prelude to each of the 3 stories about the past of the house.

Each of the stories unfolds with a few more details about the unnerving past associated with the house, with the third story providing that unanswered question from the initial glimpse of the past of the house has caused your imagination to wonder about.  There is a little more to the entire description of the storyline but I won't provide that spoiler.  You have to watch the movie to find out what it is.

A Simple Index of Description

While the basic outline has been provided with a few details to familiarize you with the storyline.  The stories themselves can be encapsulated into a simple bullet list for a greater description in a succinct manner;

1. Two kids stuck in a basement during a serious storm reveal all sorts of ugly secrets about their past with an unexpected end


2. A caged, shrieking, and annoying woman tries to argue, antagonize, and infuriate the vicious torturer who has her trapped in the basement of the house


3. A seemingly cordial (yet in actuality sleazy) neighbor forces family members to perform acts that one by one result in the gruesome activity and heinous ends

A Matter Of Opinion

Is the film bad or is it good?  That's simply a matter of opinion.  Where one person may see it as "...one of the most pointless, soulless, ugly, and disgusting horror films of the past ten years", other see it differently; "Truly a masterpiece with the perfect combination of border-lining the fringe of campy low budget with psycho-murder mayhem that draws you along from start to finish."

From the perspective of a movie industry veteran who has seen plenty his share of films over the years, he/she may see the film as nothing more than another low-budget wanna be reach for the stars that failed, yet there really is so much more here than a jaded opinion of an industry critic.

From my own personal perspective in my review of "The Perfect House", I first interviewed the directors and cast from the film.  I wanted to get a more detailed idea of the vision of their effort and details in the production of the film.  To my surprise I found it quite intriguing to listen to the details shared with me as I learned about the entire experience of the creation of the movie from start to finish.

When one looks at the limited budget, time, location availability and method to create this film, you see an excellent example of taking an idea, going against the odds of the naysayers and delivering a finished product that managed to make it to the level of distribution!

From My Own Personal Perspective

Many questions come to mind from people who have not hesitated to ask me, "What is your own perspective of the movie?", "How do YOU see this film in comparison with other films of similar class in nugget and development?, Is it engaging?" These are but a small example of the many questions I am asked on a regular basis.

I will take the lazy man's way out on this one. I truly feel the intro you read on this page next to the image of the movie truly defines my personal opinion. Yes, it may seem to sell the movie yet it is my personal opinion all the same. "'The Perfect House' - In this movie produced by Gratwick Films, you have an anthology of horror and psychological terror.  The film strategically delivers the inflection of a campy film effect, while simultaneously tapping into the psychological fear of your sub-conscious mind and your fears of the unknown."

#1 - The first story was somewhat abstract, triggering the mind to seek answers to the many questions that sprung forth.  Why was the father so insistent about everyone being down in the basement?  He created an inflection of there being far more to the situation than what was visibly apparent.  You don't look at the quality of acting or anything else but what is going to happen next.  The key point in this story that intrigued me was that although I knew what the end result was most likely to be, I remained vigilant in watching every detail of the storyline as it progressed, waiting so impatiently for it to get to the end yet continuing to watch the story to its conclusion.

#2 - In the second story my initial response was noting how the girl locked in the cage had the most gross looking teeth, had more of a sarcastic portrayal of the character she was playing and was ANNOYING as ever, yet there was more to this that overwhelmed the negative.  As a matter of fact, that annoying factor played a perfect part in understanding the message the story was conveying about her torturer. Her actions stimulated the mind to see her through the eyes of the delusional man who gained excitement from the torture of others whom he saw as being deserving of it.

(An interesting point to consider is that a person locked in a cage for a lengthy period of  weeks or months as portrayed in this story, suffers from traumatic shock that is reflected in their behavior. Exaggerated responses and actions are typical.)

The filmmakers were ingenious with two unique details of the story that although you once again knew what was going to happen after a short period of watching the story, you simply had a need to see the method by which the end would occur. The story stirs instinctual responses and emotion within you that draws you in like an invisible fishing line, wanting more because you can't resist. This was especially proven with the second detail that at least I never saw coming.

To avoid creating a spoiler that will lessen the full value of the moment, I will provide this little tidbit. It has to do with stimulation of sexual instinct. You never see it coming, it's a tease not much longer than the blink of an eye. A moment of that tease effect of you can see but not touch, then your mind is abruptly yanked to pay attention to another detail altogether.

#3 - This story took the prize for me.  It provided the answers to the questions the mind created after seeing the glimpse of the dinner experience with a family and their neighbor.  Absolutely gruesome details.  Multiple characters with multiple outcomes for each individual. You might THINK you know what's next with each event as the story moves on yet you quickly discover that you are wrong. This is where you learn why when you borrow something from a neighbor, always return it promptly and in working order.

This was yet another visual delight that strategically plucks the strings of psychological terror in your mind. Taking a subject that you can relate to and pray that you are never in that position. Each event that occurs within this story draws you further along, anticipating what is going to happen next while cringing at the idea of the pain the victim on the screen must be experiencing.

While others may see this movie from a negative perspective, the fact is you see what you are looking for. Some people approach reviewing a movie, looking for every negative thing they can find, fresh out the gate. Others such as myself, allow themselves to look past what first appears to have an influence of a campy style of storyline, only to soon discover there is in fact so much more there to enjoy if simply given the opportunity to be seen.