Dir. Dave Sapp
Jill, a young blind woman struggling with her faith, unexpectedly inherits an old mansion from her estranged aunt. When she arrives at the house, she experiences a number of unnerving events and begins to suspect the place is haunted. She soon discovers a secret tragedy about her aunt that will force her to face her greatest fears, changing her forever…
The Haunting of Marsten Manor is a quiet melodrama that could have benefited from an injection of suspense. A mild spook-fest, it is perfect afternoon viewing for fans of gentle TV mystery dramas such as Murder, She Wrote – it certainly exhibits the look and feel of a TV movie. Beginning as many haunted house movies begin, someone inherits an old dark house with a shady past. When they move into it, they're plagued by spooky occurrences. In this instance, it's Jill (Brianne Davis) who learns that she’s been left an old dark house by a dead relative she never actually met. Jill is struggling to come to terms with her recent blindness - evoking memories of Wait Until Dark and The Spiral Staircase. She has begun to question her faith in God. Also as a result of her blindness, her other senses are becoming more heightened, conveniently enabling her to pick up on the weird aura of the house when she and her friends Rob (Ken Luckey) and Erika (Christine Woods) arrive to stay and fix it up.
Marsten Manor is quite a character driven work, and unfolds much like a low budget soap-opera, as various sub-plots featuring issues of unrequited love, unresolved relationships and trust issues between characters relegate the ‘haunting’ to the background for much of the running time. Unfortunately, we never really get a sense of the house itself. Most great haunted house movies feature habitations that are characters in their own right (The Overlook Hotel, 108 Ocean Avenue and Hill House, for example). Obviously budget constraints prevent us from seeing too much of this house (a collection of rooms and various exterior shots). Indeed, the ‘horror’ elements of the tale feel rather underdeveloped, at least to begin with. Writers Dave and Julie Sapp are more concerned with exploring Jill’s crisis of faith, attempts to come to terms with her blindness and her mistrust of her friends, who try to prevent her from becoming the bitter, twisted loner she seems destined to become. The trust issues are lathered up well when Erika begins to suspect sweet natured Rob of foul play; his behaviour, and the way he is filmed at times indicates that he knows something the others don’t. The spunky young cast display vibrant chemistry and equip themselves adequately.
The discovery of an old diary and various hidden doors and rooms within the house sheds more dark light on the situation. The ghostly events are revealed to have their roots in the Civil War and a tragic encounter between Jill’s aunt and a soldier she fell for – cue flashbacks and a small, but pivotal role courtesy of C. Thomas Howell – results in a dip into an unexpected pool of pathos.
Perhaps too quiet and gentle for some, this should go down well with admirers of spooky TV mysteries.
Starring Christine Woods (Flashforward) and Thomas C. Howell (The Hitcher, Red Dawn), The Haunting of Marston Manor was released on DVD (£12.99) by MVM Entertainment on 2nd August 2010.