Stormhouse (2011) User Reviews

A reasonable enough Brit horror flick

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 25 June 2011]

A supernatural entity is captured by the military. It escapes. It's malevolent.

Stormhouse is a solid enough horror film. But not a particularly memorable one. The action is confined to the military base and takes the form of the invisible entity possessing person after person, creating all manner of paranoia. There are some creepy scenes for sure. And the occasional inventive gore moment. But the film is, generally speaking, fairly conventional. It's obviously been shot on a fairly tight budget so some slack has to be given. But overall it was a pretty average feature.

Plague. it. avoid. like: in a different order...

[Patient444 · 3/10 · 20 January 2013]

Sadly, the comments I read before watching the movie got me pretty excited, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece but certainly not this, not this at all. A complete waste of time, from minute 1 till its very end.

The most annoying thing during "Stormhouse", is the light! There isn't any! It's all pretty much pitch black, you can hardly ever see anything! Of course the acting is as bad as it gets, the dialogue as horrible as possible, even the sound was extremely bad! Why? Because it fluctuated in a very disturbing way, either the actors were whispering and you couldn't hear one word they were saying or out of the blue you got hit by this amazingly loud "music", put there to mark a very "important and suspenseful" moment! And there were none, so the "music" was clearly set only to annoy the audience. It looks like one of them really old movies, where everything happens in the dark, and you have to use you imagination, as wildly as possible, to make sense of anything whatsoever.

If you don't take my advice and you decide to give it a try, because 4 other people gave positive feedback, after you see it, I double dare you to find something worse out there! And believe me, this is going to be one heck of a challenge!

Intriguing but not all that memorable

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 4/10 · 27 October 2014]

Brought on-board a secret military base, a woman's attempts to investigate their supposed capture of a supernatural entity causes chaos on the base when it's accidentally released and goes on the rampage, forcing her to try to stop it.

This turned out to be quite a dreadful and really uninteresting effort without a lot really going for it. One of the only positives to this is the frankly original plot line concerning the capture of such an entity and what means is being done to control and contain it. Being able to remain controlled in a small enclosure with electronic impulses makes for a rather unique touch and allows this a pretty original touch that doesn't really get used all that often yet here makes some sense as the military would be one of the few places in the world where access to such material isn't out of the ordinary and seems pretty plausible throughout here. As well, the final half here tends to focus on the body-hopping means that the ghost employs to seek out revenge on the base for it's imprisonment and that leads to some mildly-tense sequences where it's in someone unexpectedly causing them to engage in all the horrific ideas and acts quite nicely. However, there's a lot really wrong here with the fact that this one tends to use a pretty hackneyed and cliché motive of the powers-that-be being unwilling to provide much in the way of explanations that would help this one be a little more understandable. Considering this is par for the course from the military, that's not all that out of the realms of realism where disinformation and withholding is pretty much par for the course in their history but here it just leads to endless scenes of her trying to actually do her job that she was specifically called there for yet keeps coming up with the bull-headed and refusal tactics from the military brass there which really begs the question of why she would want to stay there when what she's seen and been exposed to from their attitudes toward her would seem to really question why it was included in the first place. As well, this tends to really affect the pace of this with numerous scenes that go nowhere due to their refusal as well as tends to cause this to feel like a drag with hardly anything happening which is quite a common trait in many of the recent British efforts so this is no exception. Finally, the low-budget on display throughout this tends to cause the attacks to come off as quite lame and really ridiculous with hardly any real effort put into them, the special effects aren't that great and overall the film's centerpiece scenes are pushed so far into the back-half of the film it's too little too late as well as being plagued by ineffectiveness. These hold this back and really harm it overall.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Awful is hardly enough to describe this...

[paul_haakonsen · 1/10 · 9 June 2012]

This is without a doubt one of the worst horror movies that I have had to suffer through, so I guess the label 'horror' was accurate in that sense, but in the sense of it being a scary movie, not so much.

"Stormhouse" starts off with indicating "This film was inspired by real events". Yeah, then that makes me Elvis Presley incarnated. So they want us to believe that the British military had managed to capture a spirit entity from the afterlife? And to make matters even worse, keep it secured in a small fenced yard? Right! Lets see, spirit entities are incorporeal and ethereal, meaning they would be able to traverse in any direction and even through solid matter. But still, the director wanted us to believe that a chain-linked fence (without a roof) was sufficient to hold such a supernatural entity at bay?

Moving on. And for a military base, it is without a doubt the most unlit installation in the history of military bases. I have never seen such lack of lighting anywhere. And I found it highly unrealistic and questionable that a military force would keep their base shrouded in perpetual darkness. And it just didn't help the movie one bit either, as most of the time we can hardly see what is going on because of the poor (well, lack of) lighting in almost every scene.

As for being a 'horror' movie, then "Stormhouse" was really a major disappointment, as there were no scares in it at all - probably because we couldn't see what was going on as there wasn't sufficient lighting anywhere. And also, the entire story was just so very implausible that it didn't work out on any level.

I am a big fan of horror movies, and I do like supernatural movies, but this one was just too much waste of time and effort. There are far better ghost movies available on the market. Actually, you might even be better off (and more entertained) by movies such as those awful "Paranormal Activity" movies. But still, they were better than this one.

One thing that "Stormhouse" had working for it, though, was the people they had cast for the various roles. Most of them actually did good enough jobs in acting, but nothing really memorable here though.

It wasn't very far into the movie before I started to do other stuff while the movie was playing; SMS texting and cleaning up the living room. The story in "Stormhouse" is just unfathomable uninteresting and unappealing. If you like horror movies or ghost movies, "Stormhouse" might not be a good choice. I was bored senseless.

Badly written, utterly abysmal.....

[elysium36 · 1/10 · 17 January 2014]

I sat through this biting my lip, not through tension, but from just sheer embarrassment. The acting was reasonable, but the lighting was disastrous, it looked cheap on every level.

The only good thing about a film like this is the actors can hide their faces and simply pick up their paycheck after they've finished with performing this rubbish. For a film of this 'quality' you obviously hire a cheap writer, who fortunately for them will always be able to remain anonymous, especially as they are irrelevant to the structure of the piece.

Whoever wrote this should go away for a long time and read a bit of Syd Field and learn the craft before ever putting pen to paper again. No need to go into story here, as it's been covered previously.

It saddens and angers me that with so much talent out there, a group of individuals can come together and gain funding for this kind of atrocity. No wonder the British Film industry struggles if this is the best it can come up with. I wasted a few hours, I suppose I should not grumble, at least I had the time to waste and can use this as a demonstration on how not to write a screenplay and tell a story.

Harsh I know, but this is a warning to others. Avoid Stormhouse like the plague, although the plague is a better option.

A potentially interesting film let down by awful execution

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 22 September 2016]

STORMHOUSE is a British sci-fi/horror outing that flirts with the found footage genre in its telling of a secret military project accidentally releasing a supernatural entity inside a research station. Said supernatural entity then goes on a rampage of destruction while a female researcher tries to figure out a way to stop it.

So far so good, you might think. And the potential for an interesting film is right here. However, it's the awful execution that really lets this movie down. I understand that the budget was very tight, but is that any reason to shoot a film in near total darkness throughout? Aside from a couple of well-lit interludes, this is one of the darkest films I've ever seen. And shaky camera-work and pitch black background is not a good combination. Trying to make out what's supposed to be on the screen is half of the challenge here.

The rest of the film is an odyssey of attempted scare scenes and mild gore effects. The cast was unknown to me but are quite adequate for this type of film. It's just a pity that the film is so dark and difficult to watch, as it could have been a BLAIR WITCH contender had more care been taken with the look and feel of it.

better than average, all told

[patchworkmind · 6/10 · 25 February 2012]

Story/Writing: It's a pretty solid claustrophobic story. It's interesting and generally well-written, with only a few "What the heck?" moments. The dialogue is generally good, though the minor characters are fairly stock, interchangeable, and pretty forgettable. One or two of them almost come through sometimes as interesting in their own right, but then the moments are gone. Still, it all works pretty well, and the pace was okay, which is better than most films. And I believe the ending worked. I liked it. (7/10)

Direction/Acting: It's atmospheric, to be sure, just sometimes a bit too dark to see what's going on on-screen. Considering the budget and likely time constraints they were under, I can understand why they made the choices they did. Still, however, a bit too dark too often. The pace was generally good, with only a few short lulls (and they weren't distracting). (6.5/10)

The acting was pretty good across the board, though it seemed the supporting cast's characters were limited by either the script or the director's choices on pacing and story... or possibly both. It was obvious the talent was there, and more from the supporting cast really could've livened things up for tension, in my opinion. It could've given it that feel they were looking for, the atmosphere from John Carpenter's "The Thing". Stormhouse's ensemble cast were good, the main cast in particular. I kept wanting more, though, and that's the biggest drawback for my money. (5/10)

Scary movie for sure. Felt cheap in places

[Simon37 · 9/10 · 17 April 2012]

OK, so first of all the idea for this movie is great. I think the writer did a great job to come up with something original and yet very much within a horror movie genre. It had all the right horror clichés and yet had some bits we had never seen before. Is it a great movie? Not by a long shot, it feels cheap in places and some effects are bad quality. However there are moments when the obvious lack of resource adds to the fact it feels quite real. I thought the American actors who play Hayley and Mr Faber were the best in the movie, along with the British guy who played the major, by a yard stick! The rest were not interesting enough, I do not know if that's down to the writing, or the actor but I guess ultimately I want to blame the Director here. There is also one British guy who appears to be dubbed throughout the movie, an older character but because of this, it really jerks you out of the film. Fortunately he is not in the picture long enough. I read one of the user reviews saying it was too dark, I didn't agree. I thought the fact that the movie was dark was a real plus. I found it quite scary throughout but I do agree the sounds quality is just plain bad! I thought the moment when all the soldiers are singing the nursery rhyme and clapping was a little laughable but there were some genuine scares in here. Quite a few to be honest. And some nice twists in there too! Is it going to be the kinda movie that sets the world alight, I very much doubt it, it just doesn't have the full package. The quality is just not there. It was a refreshing piece though and worth a look for sure. I like scary and this movie had scary.

DING.. DANG...DONG

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 6 June 2019]

The film opens with the phrase "Based on a true event." It then flashes the year "2002" and that the military had captured a super natural entity. (Guess which one was the true event.) I was confused as to the location. The box claims it was the US military, but everyone in it is English. The film incorporates much of the poor video feed that is used in the "Paranormal" series.

Hayley Sands (Katherine Flynn) is the perky civilian ghost expect used by the British police to solve crimes. She is escorted by the military down 9 floors underground. Her room is akin to a cell. The entity is held behind a a single layer of chain link fence with some barbed wire on top and a big gaping hole. The commander doubts her ability to deal with the entity and entertains her because he must. She befriends Justin (Patrick Flynn) who doesn't doubt her.

The control that the entity has over individuals intensifies as the film progresses. At one point the vile creature has a British soldier singing in French! Eventually this thing gets loose (or else the movie would be real short and boring). The film goes about 2 minutes too long. It should have ended with Basketball Jones.

The movie is a fairly decent low budget "reality" paranormal movie which has become the new genre in horror. Glad to see these type of films employing real actors for a change. If you liked "The Thing" or the "Paranormal" stuff, you might want to take a peek.

F-bomb, C-word, sex talk, no nudity.

Original genuinely scary film - and a great idea

[owlseagull · 10/10 · 10 February 2012]

I'm going to try and keep this simple. I saw Stormhouse at Frightfest festival last August and it was my favourite film out of all I viewed (though I would highly recommend 'The Woman'.) Considering the budget was so low, the special effects were excellent and it made me jump a few times - I am a massive horror fan and hardly ever have to cover my eyes when I watch a film but there was a certain scene which I won't describe (don't want to spoil anything) that I still can't get out of my head. It's a fairly gruesome affair, which in my books is great (the more blood the better) What first attracted me to the film was the connection with the invasion of Iraq, I am fascinated with any films to do with war (my favourite being The Deerhunter) but with Stormhouse I got soldiers and a supernatural entity. WIN.

The acting is high quality (especially loved Grant Masters' character)I don't want to reveal anything but you may be surprised by the ending which, in my opinion is a good thing. Who wants a film to be predictable? It is a truly good British film and I actually walked out of a couple of big budget horror films during the festival as they were mediocre and not scary at all.

Plus, the writer of the film actually came in front of the audience before the film started and explained how the ideas came about and introduced it, which I thought was great and made you appreciate the viewing even more.

I haven't kept this simple at all have I? Oh well. Sorry! Watch Stormhouse, seriously, British horror films do not get enough publicity and this one in particular is one that should be watched. I probably wouldn't watch it alone though!

Good idea, poorly executed

[TheFilmFanMan · 10/10 · 16 April 2012]

I can see what the points are from the other reviewers. The movie is definitely flawed in places. For instance, the story could have been clearer and it could have looked more interesting. At times its a little slow and there are some very wooden performances mainly from the soldiers and the white haired guy who comes in later.

I've gotta say though, that I found it really atmospheric. I felt tense, the whole way through the movie. The jumps are great and lets face it, they are most important aspect of a horror!

Some of the effects were a tiny bit on the weak side. I thought Grant Masters was really good, as was Grahame Fox. Grahame Fox was very scary in places. Both very believable characters. I also liked Martin Delaney in it. As the only other American in the film, I guess you just wanted to see more of him, he had a really interesting character I thought. I felt all of these guys were really well written in places and performed well too. I can't remember his name but the white haired actor is terrible! Katie Flynn and Patrick Flynn were pretty solid, although at times didn't suit the movie. I can't really explain why. The rest of the soldiers were pretty poor too.

Overall there are some things that let this movie down for sure but I did like a lot about it. It felt rustic and real and the idea is great, just poorly executed.

10 out of 10 for originality!

[tomrunelian · 10/10 · 6 March 2012]

This is is probably the best little indie horror flick to hit the screens or shelves or whatever in 2012. I have spent many a night in the company of small, low budget horror movies (which turned out to be utter crap) - just to see if that rare gem we all hope for when entering the unknown, would appear. In this case it did. I have NEVER EVER seen anything like this. You are simply compelled to see what happens next.

Let me throw this one at you:

An one eyed terrorist trying to break out of an underground military facility, carrying a wounded scientist with the help of a drop dead gorgeous psychic, while being chased by an escaped ghost - which is singing a french nursery rhyme and bouncing a basketball, while maiming, killing and possessing (and not necessarily in that order) the grunts stationed in the bunker?

Nope! I knew it. You've never seen anything like this either.

10 out of 10 for originality!

Some fresh ideas in discovered the Stormhouse

[dan-421-105621 · 8/10 · 12 July 2012]

Fresh faced Hayley Sands arrives at the Stormhouse thinking she's got a ghost to deal with - but before long, it's the people that prove to be problem.

Military personnel, long exposed to the haunting influence of a trapped paranormal entity have become twitchy, paranoid about the security of their project and indifferent about hiding an amoral attitude towards human life.

These weaknesses manifest as glorious opportunities for the ghost to exploit, which it does to great effect.

If you're prepared to accept a production on a limited budget, then there are some great things in this film. We have the the horror of what people can do to one another - well set up by the curious hole in the cage. We have a conflict in morality over the Guantanamo style treatment of a terrorist. We have betrayal of trust & the dysmorphic sense of sense of self importance brought on by isolation. The story plays a great slight of hand with the audience when all hell breaks loose & neatly reveals how the entity was first captured on the way out.

As for the thing itself. I enjoyed its playful nature. It made for malevolence from a place of innocence.

Could it have been better? Budget aside (which isn't everything) I wanted a bit more cohesion in places. More lightweight banter from the resident to assist with character depth - although it's not bereft. I also felt that the general darkness of the Stormhouse made it harder for the locations to assist in taking you through the story. i.e. - we needed some visual separation to help frame the different scenes as we repaint the story in our memory.

So in the end, I appreciated the ideas here that are so lacking in many other horrors.

Scary with brains!

[carlton163 · 10/10 · 27 February 2012]

A couple of the average reviews here, and also the odd review I've seen elsewhere, just go to show that everything's subjective, because I absolutely loved this movie when I saw it at the Edinburgh Festival where it premiered last year.

I don't want to spoiler anything, as there are some nice twists and turns along the way (and at least one killer in the final act!) and by now you'll be familiar with the central idea. New York psychic girl (played by Katherine Flynn - although weirdly there are currently a Katherine and a Katie FLynn in the IMDb credits!) is brought to a top- secret military base to speak to a caged ghost. She gets along with it fine and they all live happily after... ahem! Maybe not... :)

Sure, the sound is a bit dodgy in places - maybe a result of this being a reportedly low-budget film. But for me, there was nothing low budget about the atmosphere or the super-creepy goings-on. Not to mention the occasional outburst of ultra-violence (especially one scene - you'll know when you see it!). Killer stuff. Really loved Grant Masters as the Major - a well-rounded, low-key villain, never OTT, but really intimidating in a different way.

Like films such as Session 9 or Insidious before it, Stormhouse rose up in my brain when I woke up in the middle of the night. Brrr! It's actually pretty disturbing, it's stayed with me - and that's rare in a horror film. I highly recommend that, if you're open to indie films which can't afford millions of super-flashy FX (although there are plenty of good ones here!), you enter the Stormhouse. Just don't expect to leave!

Great Horror Movie !!!

[selectamd · 10/10 · 31 December 2016]

When you are bored and pick a movie to entertain yourself this movie is a must see. It keep me wonder from beginning to the end without boring or disappointment.

I admit that its poster look like F Grade student movie but the content is really good. This is a well-made, good start, good story, good ending horror movie which you can't find in most horror movie these days.

If you hate movie which have boring start. And hate movie which have too much knowledge to understand. This is a movie you should not miss.

I hate movie which story line is something happened, lead actor find and solve mystery , and movie end. It's so stupid for those movies which use that concept.

But that is not this movie.

Haunting, eerily evocative

[queenbee_d1 · 10/10 · 4 December 2014]

I cannot find any better word to describe this movie. For a low budget movie, they have done a great job. I am afraid I cannot agree with the negative reviews. To me the dark environment, the harmony between the audio and light effects was almost perfect. Unique story along with the great play makes it more interesting. I have watched this movie several times and I will keep on watching it at times when I really need a chilling movie to indulge in to. I am very sorry that this movie and all its crew have not been well appreciated as they truly deserve much better recognition. I just have one question and I still cannot figure that out is the connection between this event and the invasion of Iraq. As far as I could think, such event could happen at any time in the history. What was so specific about this movie and its link to the invasion? I could not see the connection or I might have missed something. Other than that, it was greatly done.