Viewed – 27 February 2018  Netflix

Going into this it was easy to expect a typical haunted house fright-fest, and initially that did seem to be what we get.  However following the untimely death of his father, a teenage guy moves with his mother into a large house in the mountains, which is up for sale but they’re aloud to stay there until it sells.  Yet whilst there they have to deal with the fact it’s on the market as an ‘open house’ meaning the two of them need to make themselves scarce when people come to look around.

Things start to go bump in the night, and there is a presence watching over the mother and son as they not only try to adjust to new surroundings but also grieve for their loss.  Yet with a strange neighbour who after a time seems to contradict herself with what she says, and a kindly but mysterious local shop assistant who comes across as a bit too friendly, this set up an intriguing concept with an atmospheric setting.  Performances are not bad despite the script frequently letting it’s actors down, having for example the mother and son go into a creepy cellar several times alone rather than together despite a great deal of evidence that something may be ‘down there’.  Really, it was making me want to yell at the screen after a while. It also has a rather cheap reliance on false jump scares.  Yet despite these issues, I still found myself unnerved throughout, and it all lead to a ballsy climax that I hadn’t been expecting, leaving me rather shaken.

Not as mediocre as you may have heard.  Worth a watch.

Verdict:  3 /5