31 Days of Hell: The Houses October Built

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We had a chance to check out The Houses October Built. Check out our thoughts on the super creepy, scare-tastic, juggernaut of terror. 
Filmmakers Bobby Roe and Zack Andrews are hoping to renew your faith in found footage with their latest piece, The Houses October Built.

 Well, did it work? The answer is yes, it did, and with resounding effect.

Shot as a documentary by a group of friends, the film packs all you would expect from found footage into one disturbing package; shaky camerawork, static interference, night vision sequences and lightning fast editing. Now before this upsets anyone, this was all done on purpose to keep the organic feel alive. The Houses October Built pays homage to the pioneers of the genre with an outcome that is a dark and unnerving ninety minutes of sheer terror.

The true and genuine haunt locations and actors are the major stars of this film. Being shot in first person, it becomes extremely real as we are experiencing the different haunts. This choice in film making style makes this one of the most immersive horror films of recent years. Visually it's stunning because these locations actually exist. Plus, some of the costumes are without a doubt what nightmares are made of. Let’s hope the medicine cabinet is stocked with sleeping pills, because sleep is going to be the last thing on your mind after seeing some of these creatures.

"Now for my next song,
Nothing Compares
2 U."
Even during the times of pitch black, when nothing is visible, there is an extreme sense of dread, just waiting for the nightmarish scares to be over with. The audio work is another level of creepy, as many of these creatures make some of the most disturbing noises that will be repeated in your head for weeks to come. The characters truly come alive in a few scenes (notably one that takes place inside a bar) that are so eerie and uncomfortable they’ll have you regressing to your younger years, cowering in a corner as the scares drive you deeper and deeper into the recesses of hell.

After such an intense buildup, I have one tiny gripe about the somewhat weak final sequence, but that can be easily overlooked. The filmmakers do a wonderful job at blurring the line between fact and fiction. Many times throughout the film, you’ll start to wonder about what really goes on in and around these backwoods haunts and that little voice in your head will be telling you to go find out.

Dazzling camerawork, top-notch audio, convincing acting and a fresh story make this a perfectly cohesive and relevant gift to horror fans. This is essential Halloween viewing.


-Shayne McGuire