HOUSE CALL

HOUSE CALL (2011)
US
Directed by Erik L Wilson

CAST:
Aimee Bello - Janice
Michael Jordan - Steve
Janet Gawrys - Mother

PLOT:
     Janice does the unthinkable in order to start a new life with her new boyfriend. However, strange things begin to happen on the night of their one year anniversary.

REVIEW:
      I have to first start out by apologizing to director Erik Wilson for the lateness of this review. The reason why I say this is because I really should have put out my review of his short film sooner. Yet with the holidays that hit just recently a lot of things got shifted around and a lot of emails were put where they shouldn't have been. As I said before, I'm slowly getting around to the emails I thought I had lost. Well let me get right to it and start the review.

     Sometimes it's the simplest premise that works the best in movies and films. In the case of House Call, it works perfect as everything is concise and for the most part explained.  A mother is out for revenge for her son's death against those who wronged him. The character development is kept to a bare minimum which in this case works because of the running time, which is 17 minutes. The characters are introduced through their actions which takes the place of character development. You find out that Janice is a murderer of her old abusive lover and that Steve might not know of what his lover did to be with him. Or if he does, Steve never mentions it. Yet it's Michael Jordan's performance as Steve that really grabs your attention once he becomes possessed as his acting goes to a different level than everyone else's.

     The look of the film is exceptional thanks to the use of Red One cameras. As well as the use of filters which not a lot of young independent filmmakers use. Thanks to this House Call has a much more professional look than most short films do.  Yet the one part of the film that got to me is the special effects. The CG during the ritual scene was really well done as was all of the practical or in-camera effects. Unfortunately the CG used during the final scene looked halfway done as it didn't blend well with the scene and was too false looking. House Call was a fun short that didn't waste time and got to the point with it's revenge fueled story and well done effects that for the most part, and baring a single plot hole was a pleasant surprise.

BEST DEATH:
     A gut check that Janice won't ever forget.

BEST LINE:
     So, instead of seeing pink elephants, like a normal person on a acid trip, you see crazy old ladies in bushes.

FUN FACTS:
     Director Erik L Wilson also wrote and produced the film.