I’ve been a huge fan of Jared Cohn’s last two features, Death Pool and Devil’s Domain. Both movies are absolutely terrific and give the viewer more than a typical scary story with gore and death. Death Pool will probably be in my top 10 list of 2017, actually. So, I was very excited when I heard that he had a third feature coming out titled The Domicile. I jumped at the chance to watch and review The Domicile, but left the experience feeling quite underwhelmed. And that’s perplexing to me because this ghost movie has the same cinematic style of Cohn’s previous ventures as well as his same multi-level storytelling. For whatever reason, that I’m not even sure of, this one just missed the mark for me. If you’re so inclined to read my thoughts, then keep on reading for what will probably be a very jumbled review.
Google states that domicile means, “to treat a specified country as a permanent home.” While I wasn’t familiar with the word up until this viewing, I think it’s a more suitable title than something like The Permanent Visitor or whatever name one could think of in relation to a haunted house movie. In The Domicile, a once successful writer (Steve Richard Harris) loses everything when his pregnant wife tumbles down the stairs and loses dies. His career falters soon after, as does his mental stability, as he turns to alcohol and depression to deal with his loss. Upon the advice of a friend (Demetrius Stear), the now struggling writer takes up with his old mistress… inadvertently awakening the spirit of his recently deceased wife. And she’s not very happy to learn of his transgressions. What happens next is a suspense-drama of modern proportions and the ultimate tale of revenge from beyond the grave.
Now, my biggest – and perhaps only – problem with The Domicile is that it feels largely open ended. Despite what the official synopsis, trailer, and movie poster want you to believe, there’s a certain level of “is this all in his head?” It would make sense. Depressed, driven to alcohol, career in the dumpster and mourning his family. Obviously the main character would be prone to more severe mental illnesses including hallucinations and disorders that cause him to see things. This makes The Domicile more sad than scary if you look at it as the story of a severely traumatized man taking care of a deranged woman that lives downstairs. This makes The Domicile more of a psychological drama than a haunted house horror movie. It’s a nice combination of both, actually, but I would have preferred a much more cohesive answer. The haunting and attack sequences are successful and creepy, but they lose some of their power if you’re left wondering if they’re real. Even a scene of partial possession and the ending, while definitely lending themselves to horror elements, can also be described as hallucinations that end with the main character making a very bad decision. All in all, this could have been avoided if the main character just moved out of the house after his wife’s death!
The Domicile is written, directed and produced by Jared Cohn. Demetrius Stear and David Sterling also produced alongside executive producer Gabriel Campisi and line producer Kelly Erin Decker. Josh Maas served as cinematographer and Chris Kaiser served as editor. Lead cast members include Steve Richard Harris (Evil Nanny), Sara Malakul Lane (Shark Lake), Katherine Flannery (Zombie Pizza), Demetrius Stear (Sorority Sister Slaughter), Amanda Ruth Ritchie and Cara Mitsuko. It’s got great production value, really cool shots like the one of the ghost coming down the stairs, and star quality performances. The setting is breathtaking and enchanting, too. It’s got all the right pieces in place to be a worthwhile experience, but it missed the mark for me in story direction and shock value. It’s not as wonderful and invigorating as Cohn’s previous two efforts, but it’s still pretty good none the less. Final Score: 6 out of 10.
