The Bleeding House AKA The Bleeding (2011)

Philip Gelatt wrote and directed this, his debut feature, and he doesn't do such a bad job. It's a mix of elements that will feel overly familiar to most horror movie fans, but the tone and pacing help to improve what could have been a dull and plodding piece of work. It can't quite overcome all of its failings - the movie is certainly padded out, despite clocking in at just under 90 minutes or so, and focused more on dialogue than visuals - but it tries to do the best with limited resources.

Patrick Breen plays Nick, a man who turns up at the home of a family who stay pretty far away from the nearby town. Nick is after a favour, and he is so charming that the family decide to help him out and allow him to join them for a meal and stay the night. The family have a secret that's causing no small amount of friction, but Nick has his own secret.

Okay, so it may not be as surprising and interesting as it thinks it is, but The Bleeding House still deserves points for trying. Gelatt delivers some decent moments, spacing them out as he ensures that his thin idea stretches to feature length, and the few twists and turns do hold your interest, even if they're not major revelations.

Breen is very good in the role of Nick, although it is a performance that keeps bringing attention to the fact that it's a performance. However, the way his character is positioned in the movie, that's not a bad thing. He is both the instigator of events and also the person responsible for delivering the majority of the required exposition. Alexandra Chando isn't bad as Gloria (a young woman with a penchant for the macabre), Richard Bekins and Nina Lisandrello are good enough as the husband and wife trying to keep the past in the past and a few other people pop up to give decent performances. Basically, everyone gets the job done.

A movie that's probably as equally easy to hate as it is to like, The Bleeding House is one that I hope others are able to watch without becoming too impatient. It's a film that attempts to be a bit different from the dozens of low budget horror movies that end up on rental streaming sites (and some shelves) every month and it should be rewarded for at least trying.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Bleeding-House-Philip-Gelatt/dp/B00CPQCQVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379015536&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bleeding+house