The Butterfly Room (2012) Movie Review

By Newguy

ABC Film Challenge – 2010s Movies – B – The Butterfly Room – Movie Review

Director: Jonathan Zarantonello

Writer: Paolo Guerrieri, Luigi Sardiello (Screenplay)

Writer: Jonathan Zarantonello (Novel)

Cast

  • Barbara Steele (Shivers)
  • Ray Wise (Dead End)
  • Erica Leerhsen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
  • Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
  • Ellery Sprayberry (Wakefield)
  • Julia Putnam

Plot: A reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly innocent youngster.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Butterfly Room starts as we meet Ann (Steele) as she looks after a neighbour’s daughter Julie (Sprayberry). She has clashed with a construction worker in the past. This leads to Ann looking back on her life when she met Alice (Putnam).

As Ann gets closer to Julie, her mother Claudia (Leerhsen) starts getting concerned. After Julie claims to have seen Alice locked up in her butterfly room.

Verdict on The Butterfly Room

The Butterfly Room is a horror mystery that follows an unstable woman and her relationship with young girls. She sees them as potential new children after her own left the home.

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In a story that is told through two different time periods, we can find ourselves lost between them. It is also strange how Alice has been playing Ann, as we never get to learn enough from what she is really like.

This movie is filled with horror icons from different movies, but none of them feels like they are truly making you watch them work. Very little horror goes on around most of them and the final act is shocking. It is left too late for the biggest impact.

Final ThoughtsThe Butterfly Room is a flat horror without enough shock value.