"Dream House" Review - Written by Anthony T

Dream House
Year: 2009
Director: J.L. Carrozza
Studio: Gen-Y Films
Stars: Kate Noyes, Kevin James
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 12 Mins





I usually find that short films are usually films that are hard to write. You don’t have much time to tell your story and develop everything. You also appreciate the thought that the filmmaker has come with, but the end result is that the movie doesn’t work for its allotted running time. This was the case with “Dream House”

The film is about a newlywed couple that wanted everything that life has to offer. Jessica and Gary move into a suburban home out in the country. Soon Jessica, begins to have visions of one of the home’s former occupants. The visions become strange and haunting. She begins to discover the tragic backstory that the house has, which may end whatever dreams the couple has of starting a new life.

“Dream House” felt like one of those shorts that needed more running time with story and character development, as this feels like a rushed film. I know what writer/director J.L. Carrozza was trying to do here with his ghost short, but the execution of the film was poor. The main reason for that, the story felt more of a fourteen-minute montage of a film that’s incomplete. It’s really sad that this film felt that way, I think that there’s a good script in the idea. But the main problem is, nothing is fully developed to the point that the story grabs you. Every thing was moving at a fast pace to the point that you don’t understand what’s fully going on. I know that this is a short film, but in these films you have to grab the viewer right away because of it’s running time. The film doesn’t do it here, as the story is more suited to be longer. It really would have helped fleshed out the characters more and makes the story clearer, so it’s easier to get into the story.

Even though the script was bad, I liked the way the film was shot. I liked how Carrozza uses different methods like with the scenes, when the main character meets the ghost haunting the house and the flashback scene with the couple. It made the film visual, considering the resources that he had for this film. I just wished that the screenplay and editing didn’t make this a short very mind numbing to watch.

“Dream House” would have been more of an enjoyable film, if the film ran longer and had essential parts more fully developed to the point that into the characters. Instead, this film comes off, as a film with scenes that make no sense to the flow of the film.

Review Rating: One Star.