Are you into ghost films? You know, apparitions that haunt houses, hotels, or other place where they can be sinister enough to scare and play dangerous tricks. Now on DVD is a British film called The Baylock Residence and the premise of this horror show should spook you pretty good. It’s a common plot with a lot of drama and thrills. However, if you are not used to the dry Brits that are long winded, repetitive, and take a long time getting to the point, you’ll need a lot of patience.
It’s 1944 England and the Americans, Canadians and British are mounting an attack on the Germans in Europe at the beaches of Normandy. The British Island that encompasses London, have been under attack for some time and are still taking a beating from the German air force. It’s also the day that Susanna Baylock has died.
Four Months later with explosions still pounding England, Patricia Woodhouse has been notified about her sister’s death and the letter also asks her to return to her old homestead. She’s been estranged ever since Susanna asked her to leave the home she lived in after being accused of impropriety with her husband Vincent. When she arrives at the house she is greeted by Annabel Blair and sits down with her for a chat. Annabel notifies Patricia that Susanna has turned over the house to her the last relative. Not wanting to have Annabel lose her job or a place to live in, she asks her to stay on as her housekeeper.
Annabel shows Patricia to her room and the two start to bond. But, on her first night in bed, Patricia starts to hear some talking coming from other rooms. When Annabel denies having heard anyone in the house, Patricia starts to explore the mansion’s many rooms.
The film moves along at a slow pace with many bumps in the night that tend to make Patricia wonder about the homestead. Director Anthony M. Winson, who also wrote the screenplay, tries to keep the film frightening with a lot of “things” happening, even going so far as to include neighbors talking about the awful goings on in the house. But, although he keeps his film to the golden length an hour and a half or less for a horror flick, the film still drags and has too many irrational ghost scenes before getting to the real meat of the story.
BONUS FEATURES:
“Alternate Ending” It may have been a better choice
“Wonderful Feeling” a music video from a scene in the movie that I thought this was a hoot, loved it.
“Making of The Baylock Residence”
As far as the acting goes, although pretty standard for the Brits that usually cast adequate if not above average role players, Winson however works them as more of a soap opera ensemble. This causes the film to be very lackluster. Sadly coupling this with a script that’s unimaginative and more of a downer, American horror fans are going to get antsy.
The performance by first time feature film actor Kelly Goudie as Patricia Woodhouse does convince. Doubting what she expects to find at the house she had lived in for a good portion of her life, she’s carful with Annabel who strikes her a being a bit off key. But, as things progress the first night, she starts to accept the younger woman’s word for the creeks, raps and giggles from behind the walls. Even with her commendable acting however, the film never comes up to snuff.
The Baylock Residence has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains violence, brutality, gory scenes and language. It is now available on DVD
FINAL ANALYSIS: Not the best horror flick out there. (2.5 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Kelly Goudie, Sarah Wynne Kordas, Lindsay Foster
Directed and written by: Anthony M. Winson
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, language, gore, violence
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
Video Release Date: September 30
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 17, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Stereo
Video: Widescreen
Subtitles: English
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: Wild Eyed Releasing
Released on: DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
