House of Salem is a 2016 horror-thriller film written and directed by James Crow. It stars Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Robert Daniel Lowe, Leslie Mills and Andrew-Lee Potts.[2] The film premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 27, 2016.[3][4]
| House of Salem | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Crow |
| Written by | James Crow |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by |
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| Music by | Pete Coleman |
Production company | Last British Dragon |
| Distributed by | Last British Dragon |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editA group of kidnappers become a child’s unlikely protectors, after finding out they have unwittingly been set up to take part in a deadly game of human sacrifice. As they start to uncover the truth of the safe house they find themselves trapped, they must battle demonic forces in the walls and uncover the terrifying truth of over a hundred years of murder in the name of the Devil.
Cast
edit- Jessica Anterton as Nancy
- Jack Brett Anderson as Jack
- Liam Kelly as Josh
- Leslie Mills as Jacob (as Les Mills)
- Robert Daniel Lowe as Mick
- Andrew-Lee Potts as Mr. Drowning
- Dean Maskell as Craig
- Anna Nightingale as Mrs. Drowning
- Tony Fadil as Lord Arthur Salem
Release
editThe film was premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 27, 2016[5] and released in the United States on January 23, 2018.
Reception
editNorman Gidney of Film Threat rate the film 2 out of 4 rating and wrote: House of Salem may not be the mix of House of the Devil and Don't Breathe that it aims to be but there are enough interesting ideas to make you sit up and take notice.[6] Joel Harley of Starburst gave the film a rating of 3 out of 10 rating and said: House of Salem is more technically accomplished than most low-budget British horror films, but it’s failures drop the ball so hard that it can never hope to recover. It’s not scary, clever or atmospheric enough to cover for the actors’ atrocious line readings and lack of presence.[7]
Matt Hudson of Horrornews.net wrote:
When settling in to watch a horror movie about which you know nothing, it can be a very good thing if you find yourself 10 minutes or more into the flick, and you start to wonder if this really IS a horror movie. House of Salem does that by giving you a supernatural type opening that quickly morphs into a home invasion/kidnapping. And things lock fairly tightly on that crime drama thread, for a while.[8]
References
edit- ^ "FrightFest unveils 2016 line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "House of Salem (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Full line-up for Horror Channel FrightFest 2016 announced". July 2016.
- ^ "FrightFest 2016 Lineup Includes 31, THE DEVIL'S CANDY, ABATTOIR, BEYOND THE GATES, THE WOODS". Daily Dead. July 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Horror Channel FrightFest 2016 Day 3 Highlights". 28 August 2016.
- ^ Gidney, Norman (January 18, 2018). "House of Salem". Film Threat. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Harley, Joel (January 18, 2018). "HOUSE OF SALEM". Starburst. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Film Review: House of Salem (2016)". 6 March 2018.