A mysterious door appears in the home of a very dysfunctional family. Great concept, especially interesting to anyone waiting for a film adaptation of House of Leaves, the spooky novel about a house that grows rooms seemingly at will. One by one the cast is swallowed up as they investigate the unnerving new space. The family is so combative and high strung that it’s actually a relief to see them go. We’re first introduced to Alex, the wheelchair-bound sullen son with Down Syndrome. He’s upset that his sister and main caretaker Melinda is moving out. She’s pregnant by an unknown man and shows signs of guilt over Alex’s paralysis. The love between the siblings contrasts with the violent spite shared by their parents. Dad is a loose cannon who treats his daughter very inappropriately. His wife is a total bitch and unlike most horror movie moms she has the sense to at least try to escape when things get weird. The house has other plans, keeping the family locked inside a virtual pressure cooker. Through the ordeal their deepest secrets are gradually revealed.

This Belgian horror film wears its influences proudly. The opening fish-eye tour of the house could be seen through the mask of Michael Myers. When not zoning out to static like Poltergeist’s Carol Anne, Alex watches The Shining in 30 Seconds with Bunnies on TV. The father flipping out with an axe is pure Jack Torrance. But besides the obvious homages it’s not a great addition to the genre. Characters inch so slowly down the hallway to their doom that it’s comical. The parents are shrill beyond ridiculous. And the drawn out climax is hardly mind-blowing. The family’s dark story alone pushes boundaries and would play much better without the addition of supernatural scares. Too bad the writer took the phrase “skeletons in the closet” so literally.

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