Rose Red
Rose Red
Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
In Brief: A horrifying and somewhat disturbing romp into a haunted house, the team of psychics who wake her up, and one woman’s full tilt descent into madness.
minerva_fan Says: "The best line in a horror movie ever .‘Dee, it eats my relatives.’”
Amazon Synopsis: The chilling tale of dr. Joyce reardon an obsessed psychology professor who commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old autistic girl annie wheaton to literally wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion rose red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets.
My Synopsis: The house is at it again.
Watching this after Diary of Ellen Rimbauer put so many things into perspective for me and I finally began to understand in depth what was happening to Joyce Reardon - the parapsychologist who after years of torment by her so called peers is a woman hell bent on completing her mission.
It seems to me that there are a great deal of parallels between the stories of Joyce and Ellen. Both strong women, both tormented by a man who for whatever reason wants to destroy them. Both driven to madness by the constant harassment of these men and both embraced and consumed by Rose Red.
While I find all of the characters compelling, and I have a deep love for each of them in my heart; the most compelling part of this story for me has always been Joyce’s slow descent into full tilt psycho. (Played brilliantly by Nancy Travis).
All of the pieces are there - you can understand what drives her, you find yourself rooting for her… and by the time you realize that she’s brought 6 other very likeable people into the pits of hell in order to carry out her own private vendetta - you forgive her because you get it.
Another interesting stand out character is Annie Wheaton a powerhouse of a psychic with Augsburg syndrome, played brilliantly by Kimberly J Brown. Annie is the catalyst through which the house awakens and reaches out for her newest victims - a stroke of genius on Stephen’s part because of the moral conundrum it offers. I also think that Annie offers an interesting counterpoint to Joyce as the two almost seem to step into the roles of April and Ellen Rimbauer furthering the connection between Joyce and Ellen.
--->Warning Here There Be Spoilers<--
Some of my favorite moments included :
The moment with Nick and Cathy in the hallways towards the end, I can’t really fault Cathy for falling just a little in love with him in those moments - Goddess knows I did.
The scene when Joyce Smears the blood all over Prof Miller and gives that rather tasty little speech about the world that lies under the physical.
The scene where Annie demolishes Rose Red - Bad house indeed.
Anytime Emery does his “Not There” routine - I don’t know why, but that was really cool.
--->End Spoilers<---
I highly recommend this movie for: Everyone, but particularly those who like haunted house stories… I do offer the warning that this movie can be extremely scary.
Rose Red remains a strong entry into the King collection of TV movies - and a great chiller for a Halloween Night.
Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
In Brief: A horrifying and somewhat disturbing romp into a haunted house, the team of psychics who wake her up, and one woman’s full tilt descent into madness.
minerva_fan Says: "The best line in a horror movie ever .‘Dee, it eats my relatives.’”
Amazon Synopsis: The chilling tale of dr. Joyce reardon an obsessed psychology professor who commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old autistic girl annie wheaton to literally wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion rose red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets.
My Synopsis: The house is at it again.
Watching this after Diary of Ellen Rimbauer put so many things into perspective for me and I finally began to understand in depth what was happening to Joyce Reardon - the parapsychologist who after years of torment by her so called peers is a woman hell bent on completing her mission.
It seems to me that there are a great deal of parallels between the stories of Joyce and Ellen. Both strong women, both tormented by a man who for whatever reason wants to destroy them. Both driven to madness by the constant harassment of these men and both embraced and consumed by Rose Red.
While I find all of the characters compelling, and I have a deep love for each of them in my heart; the most compelling part of this story for me has always been Joyce’s slow descent into full tilt psycho. (Played brilliantly by Nancy Travis).
All of the pieces are there - you can understand what drives her, you find yourself rooting for her… and by the time you realize that she’s brought 6 other very likeable people into the pits of hell in order to carry out her own private vendetta - you forgive her because you get it.
Another interesting stand out character is Annie Wheaton a powerhouse of a psychic with Augsburg syndrome, played brilliantly by Kimberly J Brown. Annie is the catalyst through which the house awakens and reaches out for her newest victims - a stroke of genius on Stephen’s part because of the moral conundrum it offers. I also think that Annie offers an interesting counterpoint to Joyce as the two almost seem to step into the roles of April and Ellen Rimbauer furthering the connection between Joyce and Ellen.
--->Warning Here There Be Spoilers<--
Some of my favorite moments included :
The moment with Nick and Cathy in the hallways towards the end, I can’t really fault Cathy for falling just a little in love with him in those moments - Goddess knows I did.
The scene when Joyce Smears the blood all over Prof Miller and gives that rather tasty little speech about the world that lies under the physical.
The scene where Annie demolishes Rose Red - Bad house indeed.
Anytime Emery does his “Not There” routine - I don’t know why, but that was really cool.
--->End Spoilers<---
I highly recommend this movie for: Everyone, but particularly those who like haunted house stories… I do offer the warning that this movie can be extremely scary.
Rose Red remains a strong entry into the King collection of TV movies - and a great chiller for a Halloween Night.