Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.Good news, film fans. The much debated trailer for this Jim Sheridan helmed thriller (more on that name in a moment) does not give away the big plot twist of this proposed fright fest. Indeed, there are actually three of said surprises during this tale of a man who may or may not be losing his mind. Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) has just left his job as an editor for a high powered publisher in order to spend more time in the country with his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and his two precocious daughters. Unfortunately, the title abode he just bought turns out to be the murder home of one Peter Ward, the scene of a grizzly triple homicide that left said the aforementioned's spouse and two young children dead, and their proposed killer institutionalized. With the community giving him dirty looks and his nosy neighbor Ann Patterson (Naomi Watts) suggesting that Will knows more than he lets on, our hero starts to investigate just who this Peter Ward was/is. He believes the recently released inmate is now a threat to his loved ones. What Will finds out though is even more shocking. It seems that HE is Peter Ward, and that the persona of Will Atenton is just a psychological fugue state forced on him by his grief...and guilt. Naturally, Will/Peter doesn't believe any of this. He would never harm anyone, especially his wife and kids. Oddly enough, he may be right.
Rumor has it that Morgan Creek, the company behind Dream House, was so unhappy with the work of six time Oscar nominee Sheridan (of My Left Foot and In America fame) that they took the film away from him. The resulting studio mandated cut is now more or less disowned by everyone involved...and rightfully so. Dream House is dead - internally, externally, and scare-wise. It lacks the basics of the genre, suspense, surprise, and shocks, while continually finding contrivances and cliches that more or less destroy any potential dread. This is a film where the first 30 minutes reveal everything you need to know about the mystery of the next hour: the unknown crime scene; the odd reactions among the locals; the angry ex-husband from across the street; the parka wearing stranger that seems to be stalking Will. All that's left is for the audience to put the pieces together. Sadly, it's as simple as a kindergarten puzzle.
That's because the script - or what little was left of it - by David Louka (Eddie, The Dream Team) stinks. It's a series of set-ups that never lead to anything legitimate. Once the first twist arrives, we're glad it doesn't completely define the film, By the time we are well into the third, the nonsensical devices are aggravating. Let's face it, a lot of out of the ordinary things have to happen in order to keep the various narrative ruses going here. One Google search, carefully worded question, or a random comment from a teenager later and we'd have no movie.
Since this is one of those disowned projects which never reflects the original intent of those involved, it's hard to see what Sheridan was up to. There are moments of mindless schmaltz and ghost whimsy that just don't belong here. Similarly, a series of dream sequences (featured heavily in the ad) end up meaning nothing. All the while, Craig shifts between an American and English accent while Weisz looks lost and lonely. Even Watts, whose more or less left with a cameo, barely registers. Indeed, Dream House is so mechanical, so meaningless in what it hopes to achieve, that it fails to leave much of an impression. Instead, it's minor macabre marred by a desire to cater to horror novices, not full-fledged fans.
