"House Of A Shattered Soul"

Author(s): Bryce Marrero
Location: LA, CA

"House Of A Shattered Soul"

Directed by: Frank Darabont
Written by: Frank Darabont
Produced by: Frank Darabont, David V. Lester, and Frank Marshall

Supernatural / Drama

Main Cast

Tim Roth as Jeremy Donald
Catherine Keener as Kathy Donald
Miriam McDonald as Katie Donald
James Earl Jones as The Figure
Eddie Izzard as Cameron White
Gary Sinise as Richard Blake
Timothy Olyphant as Michael Dotson

Tagline: "Can nightmares become miracles?"

Synopsis: Jeremy Donald, his wife Kathy Donald, and his daughter Katie Donald have been searching for a suitable home for quite some time. They are finally able to find a house that meets their needs, but after spending some nights at the house they start to realize just how special their house is.

At nights, Jeremy would be haunted by a blurry outline of a ghastly person he names, "The Figure". Nights become more and more intense for the family as they are given many freights. The family finally has enough, and tells others about their haunted house, in hopes of getting some answers.

However, word spreads quickly of the haunted house, and the world ends up viewing the house as a miracle. They view the house as a proclamation of proof that there is life after death, a revelation that the end may be near, and a phenomenon sent directly from the afterlife. Many people come from around the world to visit the Donald's haunted house. They hope to find answers to questions that can inspire hope.

Among these people are Cameron White, a rich entrepreneur who is losing everything to pay for the medical bills of his dying wife, Richard Blake, a father who has lost a reason to live after he witness the death of his son, and Michael Dotson, a criminal who has murdered many but wants redemption in his life. They all travel to the Donald's house in hopes of answers and reasons, but they are treated to frightening situations with divine meanings.

The world starts proclaiming Jeremy as the new Shepard, the new leader that will help lead the way to a better life, and the gate keeper to the afterlife. Jeremy asks himself, "why me? why me out of all people?", and finds the answer after many conversations with The Figure. The more he believes that this haunting is a miracle the more he becomes distant with his family.

While the rest of the world is amazed by the haunting they label as a miracle, Kathy and Katie Donald are still frighten. It seems to them that the more praise the house gets the more dangerous it becomes to live in.

Jeremy must soon choose between his religious faith and his family, before all is lost...

What the Press would say:

The typical haunted house story has always been attached to cliche horror films, but "House of a Shattered Soul" proves that not all haunted stories have to be scary. This amazing film is about a haunted house looked at as a miracle by the world. But while the world looks at it as a miracle, the family living in the house looks at it as a nightmare. Conflicts of family versus religious faith, real versus fake, and dreams versus hopes are brought up through out the film that are sure to strike a nerve with audiences. The film isn't a horror flick, but rather a drama that deals with supernatural situations and the paranormal. Darabont is successfully able to combine an eerie religious feel, along with an epic atmosphere to give us one of the most compelling movies of the year.

Tim Roth plays the lead as the man who is seen as the connector or "gatekeeper" between the living and the supernatural. The role demands him to become more and more delusional as he starts believing in all the hype that is created. His character is slowly being torn apart and transformed into a disaster while the supernatural events in his house leads him into an intense level of confusion of who he really is or suppose to become, a question that many of us sometimes ask ourselves. Catherine Keener, who plays the wife of the haunted household, plays a mirror image of Tim Roth's character. Instead of embracing the hype and supernatural events, she instead turns away from it, which result in the emotional destruction of her character as she appears to be reacting to the supernatural events more hostile than her husband. This results in Tim giving the most intense performance of man versus self, as he must fight his own delusions in order to save his wife and his daughter, played by Miriam McDonald, before the house harms them.

The movie also treats audiences to many great supporting performances as well. From the inspiring but spooky performance of The Figure, played by James Earl Jones, to the heart warming performance of a father, played by Gary Sinise, who has lost the will to live, but finds it again after an experience with the haunted house.

"House of a Shattered Soul" is a spiritual, and epic mind teaser with lots of great performances and deep themes that are sure to rattle audiences. It is very refreshing to see an entertaining twist on an out of genre, played out subject. It is the best movie of the year, and worth seeing in a theater near you.

Best Picture
Best Director- Frank Darabont
Best Actor- Tim Roth
Best Actress- Catherine Keener
Best Supporting Actor- Gary Sinise
Best Supporting Actor- James Earl Jones
Best Supporting Actor- Eddie Izzard
Best Original Screenplay- Frank Darabont