The Occupants (2014) Directed by Todd Alcott

Sometimes it feels like movies aren't even trying, or maybe it's simply true that the film-makers involved with this movie were just incompetent ones. In either case, this movie is an absolutely terrible attempt at the haunted house genre.

There are no redeeming qualities about this movie. The biggest problem isn't the story but more the way how it gets told and handled. There is never a good build up to anything, which totally ruins the tension and mystery of the movie.

Haunted house movies usually are some very subtle ones, with a slow mysterious build up. This movie is anything but subtle however. It shows far too much, way too early on in the movie already. It leaves no question about it that there are 'occupants' in the house and they aren't some ghostly or scary looking figures but rather some very 'normal' looking, living and breathing people. Absolutely nothing ghostly about them and it's not like they are ever sitting in the background somewhere or jump onto the screen for a split second. No, they are very prominently shown and featured in the movie. Of course absolutely nothing scary or effective about any of this and as a horror movie it falls completely flat.

You can argue that this also isn't a real haunted house or horror movie and the story is taking things into a different direction but that raises the questions; what exactly was this movie trying to be and achieve? Guess you can say it's more of a thriller but it's still one that follows most of the familiar horror tropes. The movie even features some, not so very subtle, "The Shining" references in it, which is all too obvious, too distracting and totally ineffective. It's actually pretty offensive that a movie of this caliber dares to reference a classic genre movie such as "The Shining". They are no way near in the same league.

It's also incredibly annoying how these movies always feel the need to feature a surprise ending, regardless whether or not it makes any sense. It's as if film-makers at times start off with coming up with a surprise ending and then decide to write an entire movie around it. But there is a reason why you should always start at the start of a film-script. That way things connect better to each other, flow more naturally and come together in an overall more sensical and effective way.

An absolutely ineffective- and terrible to watch movie!

3/10

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