After moving into a new home, a family of four learns that the
​previous owners were murdered and the killer may be stalking them.

HORROR

Dream House (2011)

Directed by Jim Sheridan

Written by David Loucka

Starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts,
​Marton Csokas, Elias Koteas, Taylor Geare, Claire Geare

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Connor Eyzaguirre

March 24, 2020

5/10

Dream House is a film that had been on my radar for years. I remembered the trailer and the cast, and I thought it looked interesting. I finally sat down and watched it, and it's hot garbage. This film features some of the most horrendous dialogue I've ever heard in a movie, as well as some nonsensical editing that ruins the attempted scares. Halfway through, the film becomes an entirely different movie, but the twist is so predictable and asinine that anyone could spot it coming a mile away. This film had so much unused potential, and it wastes its three leads.

Craig plays Will Atenton, a broker or something who retires to spend more time with his wife Libby (Weisz) and their daughters in their new house in the country. When they learn that the previous family was murdered by their father Peter Ward, they start seeing things outside. It's implied that Ward is stalking them, but the spooky stuff vanishes in favor of the twist that Will is actually Peter Ward and his family are ghosts. Also, he didn't kill his family. The neighbor wanted his family dead, but the hitman got the wrong house. Also, Naomi Watts is there. By that point, I had plot twist fatigue and my interest was fairly low.

Dream House has Daniel Craig right before Skyfall, not to mention Oscar winner Rachel Weisz and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts. The script has a neat story in there somewhere, but despite all of these positives, the film is absolutely lousy. It's a real shame because I think Craig would excel in a good horror movie. The real villain here is Morgan Creek Productions, who recut the movie their own way and shut the director, Jim Sheridan, out of the editing process. The suits should never dictate story, otherwise you end up with this.