HOUSE OF 9

What do a priest, a dancer, a graphic designer, a rapper, an ex-tennis player, a woman under surveillance, a failed composer, and his wife have in common? Nothing, but they have all been kidnapped by a maniac who locked them in a house to participate in a game. What is the purpose of the game? Out of nine, only one can survive, and the latter will receive a reward of 5 million dollars. What are the rules of the game? None. Nine people, 75 cameras, one survivor. Let the game begin. "House of 9" is a classic example of how a screenplay can ruin, at least in part, a fun and entertaining basic idea. An idea that in this case does not even seem original, since the film directed by Steven R. Monroe draws heavily from the various "Saw", "Cube", "My Little Eye" and even the remake of "The Mystery of the Haunted Mansion", remaining however with its feet firmly planted in reality. It's a shame to note that the script, by Philippe Vidal, does not hold up for the eighty-five minutes of the film and that "House of 9" takes too long to get to the heart of the matter, suffering from substantial drops in tension only to recover, as usual, at the height of the ending. A film that seeks to bring to the screen how far man can regress to his basest instincts to save his skin would have also needed better characterized and, above all, less stereotypical characters (the black rapper, for a change, the policeman who seems to go berserk from one moment to the next), although it must be admitted that they are less bad than the average of the slasher films that come to us from overseas. The focus is more on the psychologies (however basic) and on the ways each character faces the situation (the bottle, prayer, paranoia), rather than on outright violence and the classic bloodbath resulting from the all-against-all. In short, we are faced with a situation that could quite easily take hold if one day Marcuzzi woke up and decided to tell those in the house that only one would come out alive and receive a pile of money, otherwise nothing, everyone screwed. "Big Brother Goes Brutal" they could call this reality show. An idea that is overall convincing and capable of giving "House of 9" a certain personality compared to films that deal with a similar subject, but that does not hold up well to the long duration. The result is a work that is interesting at times, boring at others; the typical film that goes on alternating current. With this, however, the undersigned is not saying that "House of 9" is a bad film, but simply that Steven R. Monroe has not managed to fully exploit the potential that was at the base of the screenplay. Because in reality, the film has more than one arrow in its quiver: it is interesting, for example, to observe how the dynamics change within the group at the first incident, and how quickly we move from "United We Will Win" to "You take care of yourselves, I'm fine on my own". It is particularly interesting to analyze the way in which paranoia, fear, and suspicion spread in the minds of the protagonists minute by minute, as well as some directorial finds and a good number of long takes that transform the protagonists into mice trapped in a maze. Notable, finally, is the shipwreck of the events in the last twenty minutes of the film, with an increase in violence and some well-executed deaths. And the tension? The tension takes a little too long to enter the house, but in the last half hour, fortunately, it becomes more alive than ever and manages to offer very pleasant moments to the viewer. The technical department, whose main weakness is the pace, can boast of the sure-handed direction of Monroe and a cold but never excessive photography, as well as a beautiful set design (the house is really stunning). The cast's performance is discreet: if the women are convincing above all, the men seem not to have to exert themselves more than necessary to bring home the bacon. And Dennis Hopper as the priest, well, he's just not convincing. He always seems visibly embarrassed, in his eyes you can tell that he himself, first of all, knows that he should never have worn the priest's clothes. In short, "House of 9" is an uncertain but not bad thriller, which did not achieve the expected results but which, among undeniable defects, can boast of some absolutely not to be underestimated finds. If you are willing to overlook some slightly slow passages, a visit inside the house could quite easily be made. Oh, I almost forgot. The ending is the real added value to the film. Great find, but I won't add anything else, except half a vote to the final judgment.