Movie Review: The Ruse

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An enjoyable but forgettable haunted house flick.

I must confess, the reason I saw this film was because it starred Veronica Cartwright, who I have long been a fan of. Starting as a child actress in the late 1950's, her decades-spanning career has included such classic movies as The Children's Hour (1961), Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Alien (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), Disney's Flight of the Navigator (1986) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987) as well as such TV shows as Leave it to Beaver, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Daniel Boone and The X Files. She did not disappoint here turning in a performance that ran away with the show. 

Though this is a haunted house movie, it leans more into the mystery genre than horror. Pretty early on you get the feeling that there is more going on here than meets the eye and as in a Scooby-Doo episode, your job is to figure out what is really going on. Director/writer Stevan Mena provides constant twists and turns that keep you guessing the entire time. You never quite know what direction this film is going in and that is the fun of it. It is rare to find a mystery film that actually keeps you guessing today and I respect this movie for that even if the final conclusion is a little too convoluted to be completely believable. Just Veronica Cartwright is wonderful here, Madelyn Dundon is also great in the other leading role. She brings a real likability to this character and helps make her feel believable. 

This movie's main flaw though is simply that for a haunted house flick, there is a lack of atmosphere. The movie never makes the house seem creepy enough to draw us into the main character's fear. To create a creepy tension the movie relies on tired jump scares, none of which are the least bit effective. The stock shots of the seaside area are also too obvious and look like the belong in a Hallmark or Lifetime TV movie rather than a theatrical release.  

This may be far from a classic but it does gives us an enjoyable trip to the movies.