Danielle Velayo (Alanna Chisholm) is a young psychology student who’s trying to
put her troubled past behind her by moving into an old Victorian house--which
she thinks is the perfect place for her to pursue her studies. She’s been taking
her meds, and worrying about the more normal things in life, one of which is
what the subject of her thesis will be. Although she’s left home and on her own,
support for Danielle is not far: her sister, Anna, is always just a phone call
away. But Danielle assures her overprotective family that she’s just fine…at
least until she starts hearing and seeing strange things in the house.
It all begins with strange sounds, and soon Danielle has the creepy
sensation that she’s not alone in the spacious, empty house. She uses a video camera to record herself
sleeping, but sees nothing out of the ordinary. Anna even comes over and spends
the night with her, and still they notice nothing odd. Yet Danielle can still
sense a presence in the house with her. When she eventually discovers a sealed
off room in the house (after following a creepy, shapeless form that floats right
into the closet), she finds that it contains items relating to a weird
experiment that was performed by a strange man named Mordechai Zymytryk on
Edgar A. Crowe, a vicious child killer, a century ago. This experiment was done
in the attic room of the very same house that Danielle is subletting.
Filmed in Toronto, Canada, The Chair is a pleasant surprise from writer Michael Capellupo
and director Brent Sullivan. It’s a well-made, low budget horror film that
slowly builds up the tension from the first few seconds. The main question the
film raises--at least within its first half hour--is whether or not Danielle is really seeing
the things she’s experiencing, and actress Alanna Chisholm does a superb job at
handling the various moods that her character goes through. Lauren Roy is also
very good as her sister, Anna. Both women are extremely sympathetic and make you
root for them from the moment they first appear. Danielle's Nancy Drew-like
investigation into the weird goings on keeps the viewer engaged as the mystery is
slowly peeled back and the tension increases.
Although shot on video, the production values are very well done, with the film
looking very crisp and professional, thanks to great photography--as well as a
cast and crew that really came together, using an actual old Victorian house as
their base of operations, as well as their set (the house was owned by director
Brent Sullivan). The DVD comes with a commentary, as well as a fun and
informative behind the scenes documentary that reveals the details on how
certain shots were done. If you’re a horror fan who’s more of a gore hound, you
may be disappointed here, but if you’re looking for a good, suspenseful horror
film with plenty of twists and turns, then sit yourself right down in The Chair.
--SF
Main Review Page | Horror Reviews |Email Me | Buy This DVD Here!
