Director: James Crow
Writer: James Crow (Screenplay)
Starring: Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Leslie Mills, Roberts Lowe, Andrew Lee Potts
Plot: A group of kidnappers become a child’s unlikely protectors, after finding out they have unwittingly been set up to take part in a deadly game of human sacrifice. As they start to uncover the truth of the safe house they find themselves trapped, they must battle demonic forces in the walls and uncover the terrifying truth of over a hundred years of murder in the name of the Devil.
Tagline – The Devil Has Come Home
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Nightmare Building Horror
Story: House of Salem starts as kidnappers lead by Nancy (Arterton) kidnap young boy Josh (Kelly) with the plans to keep him in a safehouse until the parents pay the ransom.
The more time the kidnappers spend at the safehouse, the stranger things start to become in the house and the kidnappers learn they may have bitten of more than they can chew.
Thoughts on House of Salem
Characters – Nancy is in charge of the operation of the kidnapping, believing no one would get hurt and tries to protect her kidnap victim, she comes off as the misguided criminal. Jack is one of the kidnaping group he doe question just what the group is up to. Josh is the victim, kidnapped, but has strangely has a connection to his deceased brother and even know how the night is going to play out.
Performances – Jessica Arterton in the leading role is good, pulling of the sympathetic criminal well, while Jack Brett Anderson works well as the misguided criminal. Liam Kelly as the kid is good for a child star. The cast work well through the film to play out each generic criminal character. 
Story – The story takes us on a kidnapping that takes a horrific twist, this is filled with ideas that you wouldn’t imagine because of the direction the story unfolds. The build up moments for the horror do play into the normal for horror involving these elements, but as the final twenty minutes show us just how twisted the film’s story will go.
Horror – The horror side of the film comes from learning what the house is known for and why the people have been selected.
Settings – The film takes place in one house in the middle of nowhere, it creates the isolation needed to add to the horror and they are there for a reason which makes sense for the story.
Special Effects – The effects are mostly used for after effects of certain moments that have happened, or focus on the practical effects of the creation of the characters look.
Scene of the Movie – Learning the truth.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The support kidnappers are not the most original characters, the tough one, the insecure one, the one that would kill.
Final Thoughts – This is a good low budget horror, it has a smart idea that could easily become something much bigger too.
Overall: Strong low budget movie.
Rating
