Based on Serge Broselot’s bestselling French novel “Les Emmeures”; WALLED IN is film that moves somewhat slow most of the time but does have a unique and interesting story with a few plot twists and some interesting elements that we’ve seen used in horror films before, yet this film has more of a thriller element than it does horror, but its use of ides from other notable films does make it enjoyable in some respects.
Newly graduated structural engineer Sam Walczak (Mischa Barton) has been sent to prepare the Malestrazza Building for demolition. Most of the tenants have moved out but four remain. The building has a past, as in 1993 sixteen bodies were found entombed in the walls of the place. The person responsible was never captured. While preparing the place for its demise, Sam encounters and befriends some of the people still living in the apartments of the building. A fifteen year old boy named Jimmy is the first to befriend, and he lets her know the history of the place and knows all the nooks and crannies of the place. Soon Sam will find out about the horrors living in the walls of the place and will have to try and not become a victim of the building herself.
There really is not much to say about WALLED IN, it’s just one of those films that nothing great, but it’s not half bad either. The script is not bad but the plot does move along a bit slow. There is really not much in terms of great scares or action, but it does throw up a few thrills here and there that make the viewer think. There is a few twists here and there, and the mystery as to what is really going on is pretty easy to figure out from the get go for the most part, but we are hit out of left field with another twist that is hard to see coming. the dialogue is written pretty well, and the character development is not half bad either.
The film does have decent acting. Mischa Barton does a pretty good job in the lead role of Sam Walczak and give a good performance in the film. I’m not one who really cares much for nudity in films if it’s irrelevant, yet it seems the story did call for the character to be nude a lot. It’s obvious that Barton didn’t want to go along with that part of the script and bare any more skin that she needed too, but I felt that this did limit the filmmaker to using very sloppy shots that looked odd framed up and did take away from the pace of the film. I understand with the small budget and the fact that Barton does have a television show where many teenage boys gawk at her and creepy men in jail dream of being with her. But I felt that it really took away from the film and character in which the nudity of the character would of shows how much more vulnerable the character of Sam would of been in the screwed up situations that the character was placed in. Not saying it really mattered but it seems that the filmmaker was limited with their images and opted to use shots that didn’t match up rather than go for the artistic merit that would of gave the character more depth. It just felt that it was more catered to being careful and respectful. Which is understandable, but it seemed to obvious and did take away from the film. Still a decent performance, and I can’t take anything away from the amazing supporting cast which included Cameron Bright, Deborah Kara Unger and Noam Jenkins.
The production value for the film was very good, and the sets and locations really helped build up that suspenseful look that the movie provides us with. The building itself reminded had that “HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL” look visually. The film did have similar little things I picked up on mainly that relates to a certain Poe story that also bought Richard Matheson’s A STIR OF ECHOES to mind. Speaking of echoes the film does also have a few things that echo the likes of a song from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET while giving certain characters similarities to Norman Bates and a certain pit reminiscent of that of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The filmmakers did do a good job with piecing the production together for the most part, but as I mentioned above I did fell that certain shots and use of the script did hurt the pacing of the film and did seem to effect flow of the picture. On another note, there are some great suspenseful scenes in the film that did require a but of visual and special make-up effects. While it does not have a lot of gore and relies more on it suspense. The film does do us good in the on and off screen visuals that we’re given to really have an idea of the fate of some of the characters.
Overall, WALLED IN is a decent little thriller with a pretty decent story. It has it’s faults but for the most part is put together really well. The DVD does not have many bonus features other than a “making of” featurette. Pretty much its one of those movies that worth watching on a rainy day or when the local movie rental store has nothing great in terms of horror and thrillers on the shelf to rent. It’s not a great movie, but it’s not bad either. And, although I haven’t read the book; I’m sure fans of the novel will enjoy it.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
