I’ve waited for At Granny’s House to see release for a long time; mostly because horror actor Bill Oberst Jr. is one of its co-stars. Usually any set he steps foot on is dark and disturbing, and I expected this movie to be along those lines, especially when considering the central plot would have something to do with a little old lady. At Granny’s House follows an older woman who begrudgingly accepts the company of a live-in aid. After a while, the duo become inseparable, but getting comfortable with her charge allows the aid’s real identity to come forward. With sinister ideas of her own, the care-giver is about to bring sex, death and destruction to the town of Haley in this dark thriller from writer, director, producer Les Mahoney. At Granny’s House is now available on DVD and VOD courtesy of Indie Rights.
But, that’s the thing. Calling At Granny’s House a dark thriller or a dark drama is spot on, and calling it a horror flick is a complete misrepresentation. At first, is there an overwhelming feeling that something is a little off with the care-giver? Yes. Do people die? Yes. But, that’s where any relation to the horror genre comes to an abrupt end. At Granny’s House would be more likely to play on Lifetime Network late at night than it would on SyFy or Chiller (RIP); if you take out all the nudity, that is. Rachel Alig, Glenda Morgan Brown, Les Mahoney, Bill Oberst Jr., Laura Lee, Bryant Watts and Kate Lindstadt star in this feature film, and I don’t know have any complaints in regards to the acting. However; it does help drive my opinion home. The performances are timed oddly, giving off a soap opera appeal, steering further away from anything resembling horror.
From a production standpoint, At Granny’s House is pretty solid. It’s definitely an independent picture that looks like it would have lined the shelf at VHS stores in the late 90’s. And that’s not a bad thing at all. Nostalgia’s great. The audio could use a tune-up to get rid of background noise in certain scenes, but overall it’s crisp and clear. The special effects – both digital and practical – are fun, especially when it comes to our killer’s way of dispatching unwanted guests. Producer Tammy Ridenour, cinematographer Michael Blue and editor Lloyd Hansen had their work cut out for them here, but they delivered a product that skids above typical indie film pitfalls. And, really, the script is the best thing about the whole movie. It deviates from what you’d expect – a little old lady as the culprit – and keeps you guessing from start to finish. I can only stop and wonder what At Granny’s House could’ve been with a bigger budget. The way it stands now, it’s probably worth the price of a stream, but not a full DVD purchase.
Still, it’s overbearing, uneasy, and psychologically daunting. It features damage in every meaning of the word, and boy, is the small town of Haley about to be fucked up. Not worth the wait, but not a pile of dirt, either. Final Score: 5 out of 10.
