Pat Higgins: Director
Review: TrashHouse
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
TrashHouse
Director: Pat Higgins
Release: 2005
While far from flawless, director Pat Higgins debut is an enjoyable, if inconsequential, romp, provided that the viewer approaches it with the proper mindset.
The plot line is straightforward.
Five people, all of whom have been found to be statistically among the most stable people in the country, gather together to participate in (and be well paid for) an experiment in virtual reality. They are to be locked inside the titular dwelling, microchips implanted in the backs of their necks, and then bid the high-tech house to create for them whatever reality they desire.
All is not what it seems.
Essentially, there you have it. The rest of the film is about getting to the end to see who, if anyone, survives, and wondering how those who dont end up meeting their maker. The high-tech spin on the venerable locked house tale has its charms, and there are a couple of buckets worth of stage blood (albeit slightly pinkish) for those who came looking for such elements. Does one actually choose a film with the tag line Monsters... Zombies... Chainsaws... Somebody Doesnt Love Lucy hoping for as little bloodshed as possible?
If there is a message to be found here, it is one that is articulated by one of the characters before the going turns nasty: Do you think absolute power will corrupt us absolutely?
But one suspects that Higgins was hardly looking to create a pontifical statement-film here. In fact, one suspects that Higgins, who also wrote and directed the film, was looking to have himself a bloody good time making a low-budget horror flick. This assumption is essential to the aforementioned proper mindset.
There are holes in the logic of this film so large that one could fly a large airplane through them, and if one goes into this movie with their illogic-finding faculties revved up, they deserve the disappointment they will get. One hopes that Higgins would not take offense to the opinion that shutting ones mind off and kicking back to enjoy the ride is the best way to get the most from TrashHouse. With, perhaps, a bucket of red-dyed popcorn, as well.
Had there been a bigger budget at his disposal, most of the complaints against the film would be rendered nonexistent, as TrashHouse is hobbled by ineffective CGI effects that kill any chance at suspension of disbelief.
That being said, there are plenty of moments when his skills as a director shine through, and the viewer glimpses the vision at work behind the film (at the same time catching a glimmer of what he would achieve with his next film, KillerKiller).
Also of merit are the performances turned in by Richard Collins as James, Sam Burke as Della, and Cy Henty as Allen. There are some funny moments with the comic-relief team of the two blokes in the basement monitoring the vital signs of the participants. However, most of the rest of the cast is somewhat stiff, and give the movie more of a film student-esque feel than Higgins might like.
All of this aside, there are far worse ways to spend 80 minutes of ones life, and for horror fans who appreciate obvious enthusiasm behind the lens, this would make a nice addition to a beer-fueled film fest with some like-minded friends, who will no doubt enjoy the bonus collection of blood-soaked trailers for a variety of trashy-in-a-good-way films.
Tim Emswiler
Special to Cinescare
