| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dennis Quaid | ... | ||
| Aimee Teegarden | ... | ||
| Tony Oller | ... | ||
| Stephen Ford | ... |
Brian
(as Stephen Lunsford)
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| Devon Werkheiser | ... | ||
| Brett Cullen | ... |
Sgt. Nickerson
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| Dahlia Waingort | ... |
Sylvia Moore
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Conrad Gonzales | ... |
Officer Alvarez
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| Wilbur Penn | ... |
Officer Wainright
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| Amber Bartlett | ... |
Rosemary Ely
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Sydney Barrosse | ... |
Carolyn
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| David Christopher | ... |
Sovic
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| Gabriel Folse | ... |
Russell
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| Melody Chase | ... |
Elaine
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| Cameron Banfield | ... |
Collin
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In Smithville, Texas, the teenagers Brian, Abby, Travis and Danny are classmates of the Smithville High School and best friends. One day, they are reading Macbeth for a class and they decide to investigate the rumors that the house of the mortician Ely Vaughn is haunted by ghosts. They see shadows in the upper window and they break in the house to see what is happening and they see a corpse lying on the bed; however, they are surprised by Ely that kills Danny, pushing him to fall off the staircase. Nobody believes in the teenagers since Ely is a respectable citizen, but Travis and Abby decide to prove that the undertaker is a psychopath. Will they be successful in their intent? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
That's how this excellent little mystery-horror film from 2011 struck me, and I mean that in a good way.
PLOT: Dennis Quaid plays a creepy mortician in a central Texas town. A group of teens decide to trespass his abode for thrills and everything goes awry.
Quaid and cutie Aimee Teegarden head the cast, but it's Tony Oller who shines here as the troubled protagonist. He's very reminiscent of Robby Benson.
Like I said, the story is akin to a Scooby-Doo yarn, but realistic and without the dog. Although Quaid is over-the-top and somewhat campy as the villain the rest of the cast play it straight. I was surprised by the dramatic score and a few really touching scenes.
Some complain that the subplot of a dead sister and a ghost sighting goes nowhere, but it's there for a reason, just think about it.
Although there's some realistic cussing there's zero raunch.
BOTTOM LINE: I was pleasantly surprised by this great little film. It's classy, sometimes moving, mysterious and thrilling at the same time. What more could you ask for in a movie of this ilk?
Shot in Bastrop & Smithville, Texas, the film runs 96 minutes.
GRADE: A- or B+