The Occupants (2014)
A supernatural thriller directed by Todd Alcott who co-wrote the script with Holly Golden, and features Michael Rady and Toby Huss. Golden produced the film along with Ilan Arboleda. The film revolves around Lucy, who has a new husband, a new home and a new baby, but old ghosts won't let her be. She has dedicated her life to helping families break the cycle of abuse, so when she and her husband, Wade, see the echoes of a violent family tragedy in their home, Lucy tries to help the tortured souls break free of their torment and move on. She finds, however, that these ghosts don't want her help -- they want to lead Lucy and her family to their doom.
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Reviews
Too much of everything
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
It is no secret that I do enjoy the horror genre, and often sit down to watch just about anything that falls within this genre. And when I happened to find "The Occupants", I must admit that I was initially lured in by the movie cover/poster, because it did seem like it could have potential as a slasher movie. Little did I know that this was actually a supernatural ghost movie.However, I didn't manage to make it more than 35 minutes into this movie before I tossed the towel in the ring. I did so out of what can best be described as utter and complete boredom. From what I managed to sit through, I was nowhere near being entertained or being impressed. And I can honestly say that I have no intention of returning to finish the rest of the movie.The characters in the movie were one-dimensional and rigid, which didn't really help the movie one bit. And the dialogue wasn't particularly thrilling either."The Occupants" had the level of acting which was to be expected from a movie of this sort, for better or worse.If you enjoy horror movies, then there are far better choices available. I can't really think of a single reason for recommending that you actually take the time or the effort to sit through this ordeal of a movie.
What do you tell a young mother who sees ghosts in her house, that she is perhaps under stress, dreaming, confabulating? What happens when her husband sees them too? Lucy works as a counsellor, and while her other half wants them to vacate what is obviously their dream home complete with security fence, she believes the night visitors are not regular apparitions, as in dead people, but a living family that is in desperate need of terrestrial assistance. She confides in a colleague - and former lover - who thinks she is gaga, and refuses to give her any practical help, although he does suggest she seeks help of the psychiatric kind.After her decision to stay put, things get worse, a lot worse. Was it really such a good idea to bring in a psychic? Unfortunately, this initially promising film soon loses its way. Lucy may indeed have gone gaga by the end, but this is so confusing you don't really know what she has done, what has happened, what is real, what is not, who is the bad guy, and if he is really a demon. Don't waste your time on this one.
SPOILER! I discuss the rabbit in the hat. Hop away if you haven't seen this film!! The Occupants provided an interesting perspective on the ghost story sub-genre. I think the disappointment some viewers had was that they expected more of the same, more of the tropes and tricks that genre presents. I enjoyed the way it portrayed their daily life; which, unfortunately, is sometimes boring. So it sagged a bit in the middle, and we viewers are led into a false sense of complacency. The protagonist as murderer was the cleverest part, and I was genuinely surprised. The actress was excellent in the role, and very pretty. Most of the secondary characters were written flatly, and they end up being ghosts in my memory. I think I wanted more flash and color, more music, etc. But I also think this was a commentary on so many of these movies. They just don't have the impact that a monster or killer movie has, but they feel much more real. This movie felt very real, and that probably made it less cinematic. The ending was maybe too sudden and jarring, but if the purpose was to make you work to understand, it succeeded. I recommend it.
There is not much to be said about this film. It's not the worst out there but it's near the bottom of the barrel. I wouldn't recommend it. It is about a woman called Clare who has a new husband and baby and they are living in a new house. She is a social worker and seems to have a fulfilling job and a perfect family life. Her husband has a nightmare about a beaten woman, and then Clare starts seeing her as well as two other apparitions in the house. The house then becomes haunted by them, I.e. The Occupants. Clare tries getting help from her colleague and ex-lover Glenn. He doesn't believe her. Her and her husband then research the history of the house trying to find out if anyone was murdered there. She calls a psychic who feels no presence in the house. She tries getting help from her babysitter who tells her about demons. Things get worse and we find out that Clare was adopted after her father killed her mother and sister. These are in fact the apparitions she has been seeing. She also doesn't have a husband as she imagined him and her child's father is in fact her ex who has been spying on her in order to get her evidence of this and help her. She kills him and then herself. The baby is placed in the care of Clare's sister. The End. Overall an unimaginative film with a weak story and mediocre acting. The first twenty minutes is bearable as we don't yet know what is going on, but then the movie drags out to its uninspired and predictable ending. It tries to mix psychological and supernatural horror and ends up being ineffective and bland instead. Don't waste your time on this, rather watch Insidious, Sinister, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity or The Others. Each of them is better than the occupants.