‘Alice just opened a gateway to unimaginable horror.’
Witch House is a 2022 American horror film about a female student who unwittingly opens a door to different dimensions at Hannah House. Also known as H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House
Directed and co-produced by Bobby Easley (The Dead Bodies in #223; Belly Timber; The Devil Dogs of Kilo Company; The Boogeyman 2014; All Sinner’s Night; The River Runs Black) from a screenplay co-written with Ken Wallace, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story ‘The Dreams in the Witch House’. Also produced by J.D. Brenton and Ken Wallace. Executive produced by Michael Sherfick.
The Horror Wasteland Pictures production stars Portia Chellelynn, Julie Anne Prescott, Andrea Collins, Erin Trimble, Solon Tsangaras and John Johnson.
Plot:
Graduate student Alice Gilman (Portia Chellelynn) is running from an abusive past. She seeks refuge in the infamous Hannah House in Indiana; a historic home with an ominous past. Determined to prove the possibility of alternate dimensions, she unknowingly unlocks a gateway to unimaginable horror.
Facing a series of bizarre and violent events, Alice is plagued by nightmarish dreams of evil entities. Trapped between the fourth dimension and reality, the diabolical truth is revealed as she fights for her sanity and her very soul…
Review:
Witch House begins startingly with a devotee of Satan tearing out one of his own eyeballs. A stylish credits sequence also sets a welcome macabre tone.
Although the film is very loosely based on a Lovecraft tale, the main protagonist Alice (Portia Chellelynn) is escaping from an abusive relationship which makes matters very real-life and contemporary. And yet Witch House also aligns itself with the past by being set in the real-life 19th-century Hannah House in Indiana. This adds massive production value to the movie.
Alice is trying to prove a connection between ancient geometry and architecture and the dark arts which is fascinating in itself. Meanwhile, local kids are being abducted and murdered…
The plot unfolds gradually (no burn folks) and along the way there’s a somewhat predictable and feeble lesbian seduction before Alice is drawn into another – very green/red-tinged – dimension. It’s during these early nightmare scenes that Witch House is at its weakest, mainly due to poor lighting. It’s honestly hard to make out what’s going on.
Later on, there’s a better shot full-blown ritual sequence that briefly recalls the fleshy excesses of Bert I Gordon’s Necromancy (in its re-edited sleazier version as The Witching ) or Norman J. Warren’s Satan’s Slave. There’s also an effective scene in which a booze-addled child murderer is forcibly cajoled into cutting his own head off by his victims. That’s not all the splatter on show but we’ll avoid spoilers.
Portia Chellelynn puts in a good performance as Alice and is ably supported by most of the leads, if not some minor characters. Dyllen Nance provides a suitably creepy score. The film breaks no new ground and is certainly a very low-key entry but it should satisfy some unfussy aficionados of very low-budget Lovecraft and witch-themed horror. Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA
Other reviews:
“A makeup artist gets a credit, yet some people don’t seem to be wearing makeup at all; if they are, they appear to have applied it themselves. Daytime shots are overexposed. Exterior shots only use available light. To sum it up in a single sentence, H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House is drenched face to feet in efforts that I’m sure are well-intentioned, yet are undeniably amateur nonetheless.” 20 out of 100, Culture Crypt
” …despite its graphic scenes, it doesn’t always spell things out but hints at them, making them all the more ominous that way, and giving the viewer plenty of opportunity to scare oneself. And a very competent cast makes the whole thing relatable while atmospheric filmmaking keeps things creepy throughout making this some very cool genre entertainment.” Search My Trash
“With its sequences mixing trippy lighting and sound along with blood and bare skin H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House frequently has the feel of a 70s exploitation film. And while some of the final revelations are a bit predictable and the plot leans into Christian lore more than The Cthulhu Mythos, perhaps for budgetary reasons, it’s also a genuinely creepy one.” Voices from the Balcony
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Release:
In the US, Horror Wasteland Pictures International released Witch House on Digital and DVD on July 5, 2022.
Main cast and characters:
Portia Chellelynn/Michelle Morris … Alice Gilman
Bill Levin … Vespuli
Andie Noir … Keziah Mason
Erin Trimble … Kelly
Andrew Hutchinson … Drew
Shonda Laverty … Etta
Joe Padgett … Joe
Julie Anne Prescott … Tommi
Portia Chellelynn … Alice
Solon Tsangaras … Brown Jenkin
John Johnson … Professor Sherfick/Satan
Technical details:
1 hour 20 minutes
Filming locations:
Hannah House, 3801 Madison Ave, Indianapolis, Indiana
