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House in the Alley
(aka Ngoi Nha Trong Hem)
2012; directed by Le Van-Kiet

House in the Alley was a major hit in its' native land of Vietnam upon its' release in 2012. But after watching Shout! Factory's new DVD for the film, one has to wonder if maybe this was just a case of a local audience appreciating something made specifically for them versus yet another Hollywood import. While it's not a bad movie, House in the Alley certainly doesn't break any new ground or deliver anything all that spectacularly as far as suspense/ghost films go.

House in the Alley  House in the Alley

The story revolves around a young couple, Thanh (Son Bao Tran) and Thao (Clash's Veronica Ngo), who are expecting their first child. Thao experiences complications in childbirth and their son ends up being stillborn. Thao is traumatized to the point that she keeps the baby's coffin in their bedroom. This doesn't sit well with Thanh, especially after he begins experiencing strange visions.

House in the Alley  House in the Alley

For the most part, after the initial bloody birth scene, House in the Alley is a very slow burn, to the point that some audience members might become bored. This was director Le Van-Kiet's second time behind the lens, and it's obvious that he has technical talent -- the movie looks great and has an appreciated lack of CGI or gimmicky pseudo-scares -- but in the storytelling department, he needs some work. The movie simply meanders around too much, particularly in a subplot involving Thanh dealing with his domineering mother, which hampers suspense from building up.

House in the Alley  House in the Alley

To its' credit, things do bounce back during the final act, particularly the last fifteen minutes or so. The violence and gore quotient is ratcheted up, which manages to draw the viewer in and leaves them able -- to some extent -- to forgive the somewhat pedestrian plot twist that is unleashed shortly beforehand and afterward. Overall, the bloody endgame makes House in the Alley entertaining enough to warrant a viewing if you're a fan of the genre, at least if you go in with lowered expectations. Ultimately, this feels like a case of missed potential; there are some good ideas here, but perhaps better suited for a short or anthology, rather than full-blown feature.

RATING: 5

HOuse in the Alley

DVD Information

Compared to other recent releases from Shout! Factory, their DVD for House in the Alley is fairly bare-bones -- though it does get high marks in the audio/video department, with a crisp 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture backed by soundtracks available in Dolby 5.1 Vietnamese or Dolby 2.0 English. The available English subtitles have the occasional grammatical error, but are otherwise easy to read. There isn't much to keep you occupied after watching the feature, with a trailer being the lone selection as far as extras go.

The DVD is available from Amazon.

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