User reviews

Or rather don't get there, if you know what's good for you. Something our main protagonist seems to ignore. But I think that's not the only thing that people were missing in this movie. While it is a nice change from the Jeepers Creepers franchise for Victor Salva, he doesn't seem too much at home with this.

I wish I could share Ray Wises enthusiasm for that film (I'm guessing the script read a lot better), but I can also see what he liked about the movie. There are some genuine scary or at lease eerie scenes in it. Plus you've got a bad guy in here, who's really good (at being bad). The acting is above par, but for all the weird things that happen, there are other things that will not completely satisfy your viewing needs.

"Hickory Dickory Dock..." Talk radio psychiatrist Dr. Sonny Blake (McGowan) is moving back in to her father's house one year after his death. Her neighbor gives her a warning about the neighborhood paperboy. After meeting him she begins to notice that he is very strange and may have actually killed her father. When she goes to the cops they don't believe her stories and she is left to discover the truth on her own. I have to start by saying that overall this was a pretty creepy movie. It was pretty tense and interesting but began to repeat itself after 45 minutes and seemed like the same 2 scenes were being done over and over. The kid in this is very creepy and he makes the movie. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to scream at the people on the TV to turn around. All that said the movie is a little slow in parts but still not a bad watch. Very much worth renting. Overall, tense and creepy and worth seeing. I give it a B-.

The psychiatrist and host of the radio talk show Talk Line, Dr. Sonny Blake (Rose McGowan), returns to Rosewood Lane, in Stillwater, one year after the death of her father to live in his house. Sonny was raised with brutality by her father and is a traumatized woman that was submitted to therapy by Dr. Cloey (Lesley-Anne Down). Sonny's boyfriend, the DA Barrett Tanner (Sonny Marinelli), helps her to bring her things to her new home.

On the arrival, her next door neighbor advises Sonny that the paperboy (Daniel Ross Owens) is a dangerous weirdo. Sonny finds that the paperboy has broken in her house and might have killed her father, but Detectives Briggs (Ray Wise) and Sabatino (Tom Tarantini) do not believe on Sonny and think that it is her imagination. When Barrett is attacked and is missing, Sonny and her friend Paula Crenshaw (Lauren Vélez) call the police but he is not found in the house. Is Sonny freaking out or is the paperboy an evil being? "Rosewood Lane" is a laughable horror movie with terrible story and screenplay with many plot holes. I have already spent my time watching this garbage and it does not worth to spend more time writing about this awful film. If you do not believe on my words, do the same I did to feel how bad a movie can be. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Vila do Medo" ("The Villa of the Fear")

If you recognize the line in my title then you might want to turn away because you won't be able to sit through this movie with a straight face. Through no fault of "Rosewood Lane" which otherwise is a good thriller, it dives into a plot that seems so preposterous that it became the running gag in the hilarious 80s dark comedy "Better Off Dead". That plot is, of course, that a supernatural psycho paperboy terrorizes the town.

Excuse me, I just spewed milk out my nose.

OK getting serious for a minute, "Rosewood Lane" handles itself very well. It should be noted that it is NOT a horror movie; it's a thriller. And, as the filmmakers explain in the "Making Of" feature, that means it has a slower pace, more character development and more atmospheric investment than the average slasher. Aside from a death in the opening scene, half the movie focuses on the main character's psychological complexities (growing up abused, dealing with newly surfaced demons of her past, a failed relationship, issues of professional ethics, and perhaps a slight nod to her OCD). While this side of the movie doesn't provide many popcorn spilling shockers, I thought it was a new & interesting angle of approaching the protagonist. In a sentence: she's just 1 psychology degree away from the looney bin, herself.

So when she starts seeing a psycho paperboy stalking her around every corner, we're not quite sure how much is real and how much is delusion. I think Rose McGowan did an excellent job of playing a tough, mentally guarded character who is overcompensating for deep, suppressed issues which she probably hasn't conquered as she'd like to claim.

Another good acting job comes from Daniel Ross Owens (creepy paperboy) who, though perhaps looking too old for the role, pulls off the psychotic thing really well, particularly in an awesome "laugh" he delivers toward the end. You'll know the one I'm talking about.

So in the end I recommend this movie to anyone who is not expecting a horror flick but rather a slow moving thriller with some good momentum. In style/feel alone (not in story!) I might compare this to "The Sixth Sense" because it has an atmosphere of darkness with a surreal quality lighting the main actors. In other words it has a dreamlike quality to it, not stark realism. I thought that was a nice choice considering the psychological spin. In the interviews, the director mentions Hitchcock (in particular "Psycho") as perhaps a strong influence, and I can definitely see that, the way the house at Rosewood Lane becomes a sinister character itself, like the Bates Motel.

But... oh lordy help me, I just couldn't get those 80s paperboys out of my head. If you see this movie, then just for laughs afterwards, AFTERwards so not to spoil it, go to YouTube and search for "Better Off Dead two dollars" and you'll see what I mean. Even the foot-in- the-door gag is there, making me wonder if it was a direct homage. Well you know what they say... ghoulies & ghosties & long legged beasties & paperboys who go bump in the night...

This is a bad movie, please waste your money on booze or crackers instead of paying for this... Lots of talented actors in that flick but the acting is bad, if it was intended to be a scary movie, it miserably failed to achieve this. This is what happens when you have great actors and a bad director, all actors in there were poorly guided and it shows from the start... I love movies, especially suspense/horror flicks and I hate to say bad stuff or make a bad review but after watching this last night (and I did watch the whole movie) I just felt like I had to warn folks who would be tempted to watch the movie... I felt sorry for the actors, I felt sorry for people who actually paid the full price to see this movie in theatres - if it ever made it. Anyways, watch at your own expenses, this is not a good movie, Rose McGowan and Lauren Velez can do much better when properly directed.

Victor Salva is a very talented director, that's a given, we have the 2 Jeepers Creepers film to thank him for, and a lot of people are very disappointed with his latest effort Rosewood Lane, pretty much straight away I realized that I was watching a very different type of Salva film, obviously the budget is a lot lower than the Jeepers films and this is less of a horror and more of a drama with a supernatural/ thrill edge to it. The story is slightly similar to other movies of the past, but because this has the supernatural twist and the constant guessing throughout it makes it not just a rehash if something already done, in saying that this is really a film that will leave you guessing right up until the end, and you may or may not like the ending but I guess it's 50 50.

Rose McGowan has a great screen presence, she has a kind of sweetness and honesty to her that really make you like the characters she plays, and she can carry an entire film quite easily I think, I hope more directors see what a great investment she could be. The youngster who plays the villain is is also really good, the fact that he is always smiling kinda creeped me out a bit, which is good because that's the point I guess.

Yes it's no Jeepers Creepers, but it is something a little different, people should give it a go, they may enjoy it, just don't go in expecting full strength horror, expect a thrilling drama that will scratching your head afterwards.

Enjoy :)

The film stars Rose McGowan who played a radio talk show psychiatrist named, Dr. Sonny Blake. After her alcoholic father's death, she decided to move back to her childhood home, but once she got back in her old neighborhood, she was immediately warned by her neighbor about the local paperboy who seemed to be a strange young sociopath with supernatural abilities. Unfortunately, the boy immediately took a special interest in her; and when he started calling her show, reciting eerie nursery rhymes, an unnerving game of cat-and-mouse begins. As the game dangerously escalated, she suddenly found herself in a terrifying all-out war, one that forced her to redefine her perception of sanity and had her fighting for her life.

This is not a movie with pails of blood pouring out or tons of gore spewing about, but I thought it was a nice mild suspense thriller that reminded me of the Twilight Zone days. If you're into stories like that, then this is definitely one you wouldn't want to miss.

This actually got a lot of negative review, but I thought it was quite nice. Something you'd love seeing on TV on a slow weekend, sort of thing. One of the many complaints made was the actor who played the antagonist and his being inappropriate to be cast as a paper boy. Granted, he doesn't look like a boy, but take into account his acting skills here, I thought he made a pretty good job on his role.

The story itself isn't perfect, and yeah, some choices the characters made were a bit questionable, but isn't that how movie people have always been? Like how they go into a room when we're screaming for them not to? All in all, I thought the actors were great and the story solid enough to see it through.

This brought back memories of the Jeeper Creeper without the big monster in it but it sure had the villain. Unlike most movies that have a huge build this one does not. Right from the beginning you know who the villain is and there is no question this kid is screwed up.

The movie is going to go a place that I didn't think it would go. I was sure this kid was the devil with some of the stunts that was going on. I will not spoil the surprise but at the end you will understand everything. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. If you enjoyed jeepers creepers style type movie than you will enjoy this.

Recommend

This is not even a movie. It's some ideas and clichés put together in a hope that it would resemble a movie. Alas, it fails completely. I almost fell asleep on several occasions during the ordeal, and that is something I have never experienced while watching a film before.

None of the characters are believable. The dialogue is a disaster. The "villain" is a moron. I hate villains who only annoy me instead of scaring me. I liked the cat, though, he was very convincing.

The plot was non-existent. No suspense buildup. No coherent story. No ending. And how does the beginning fit in? There was no logic either. Not even a horror movie internal supernatural logic.

Don't watch this drivel, is all I can say. I bet you and your friends could make a horror movie that would look like a masterpiece compared to Rosewood Lane.

I have no idea why I watched this given the director Victor Salva is a convicted child molester and I usually avoid his movies. How this pervert still has any sort of career in Hollywood I'll never know. I have Netflix streaming and was REALLY bored so I watched this. I was not expecting much and sure enough it was a stinker. Rose McGowen's botox face and filled lips are a distraction as she barely resembles her old self. The movie is VERY predictable with a few plot holes, one being you never really find out what happens with one of the characters. The ending was utterly ridiculous and it was not even scary. Epic fail.

This is a comment not a review. Knowing Victor Salva's history, how on earth did Rose McGowan end up cast in it?!?

Victor Salva has made many fine films. Rosewood Lane is not one of them. Rose McGowan is completely miscast in the lead with her annoying voice and bad acting, but it's the script and plot that really sink this movie. Ever see one of those thrillers where to advance the plot characters begin acting like morons ? This movie is filled with that. Nothing comes across as based in reality. It's like a good idea for a movie gone horribly wrong. Worst of all , the best part of the film is the creepy paper boy and he isn't in the movie nearly enough. I'm writing this 11 years after it was released and we now all know what happened to Rose's career. This stinker had to have helped kill it.

"Rosewood Lane" is a quite solid mixture of a gripping psycho thriller and a haunting supernatural horror movie. It may not be an excellent film but it's an entertaining, intense and suitable B movie for genre fans.

The plot isn't the most original one and somewhat predictable for genre fans. On the other side, the fact that the viewers might guess that certain events are going to happen even adds to the anxious anticipation. The movie's atmosphere plays with the audience's expectations. I also liked the somewhat controversial ending of this movie.

Honestly said, some of the characters in this film are rather shallow and quite stereotypical. Their actions are as predictable as stupid. Still, the frustration and nervousness the viewer feels towards the characters raises the emotional connection to the film itself which is a positive element.

The acting isn't extraordinary but solid enough to keep the audience interested until the end. The cameo appearances of cult actors such as Lin Shaye and Ray Wise are a nice gimmick for genre fans as well.

The movie is directed by the controversial Victor Salva and has a similar style as his other movies such as the surprise hit Jeepers Creepers. This film includes several autobiographical elements since the director has had a complicated relationship with his family like the main actress and since he has already worked as a delivery boy similar to the main villain. These elements are well integrated into the story line and add some content to an ordinary plot, depth to an average acting and emotions to an otherwise predictable effort.

The atmospheric elements of this film are solid. The lighting techniques are suitable since a lot of scenes are taking place in the dark. The Locations are simple but efficient. The sound techniques are quite good and include uneasy moments of silence, nerve-wrecking whispers and quiet sounds but also sudden noisy movements and spoken word passages. The score isn't unique but it adds to the sinister atmosphere. All these elements offer at least a handful of creepy moments throughout the movie and one or two light jump scares which is what I'm expecting from such a movie.

Overall, "Rosewood Lane" is a well done horror movie that turns out being entertaining over ninety minutes. It's not the kind of movie I would watch at the cinema, purchase at full price or judge as a genre highlight but I would definitely watch it again, suggest it for a horror movie night with a couple of friends and tell you that the harsh reviews are a little bit too cynical, exaggerated and serious. Genre fans should try this flick out without any hesitation.

Rosewood Lane has a premise that would be a sheer nightmare to experience first hand. To see it happen to shallow characters lessens the overall experience into a drab, ineffective muddle from a director clearly capable of churning out suspense on demand. Perhaps he works better with a higher budget and atmospheres that do not mirror those of soap operas.

Despite being surrounded with controversy regarding his molestation case on the set of Clownhouse, one of his first films, I've always respected writer/director Victor Salva in the field of suspense and ideas. The original Jeepers Creepers is a truly suspenseful horror film with solid writing, aware directing, and credible, memorable suspense. Its sequel is a tad hokey, with many flaws in its plot points and aesthetics, but overall, a capable horror film able to at least erect aspects that have made past thrillers successful. I didn't thoroughly despise it.

Rosewood Lane feels like a work in progress. Its actors are well-fitted for the roles, but everything else is the slowest of slowburn, only it isn't building to much of anything. Take Ti West's Innkeepers, a horror film released earlier this year. The film was self-aware of its atmosphere and completely capable of creating smart characters and intelligent, realistic dialog. Rosewood Lane feels cold and tone deaf, never achieving any suspenseful heights nor does it ever appear to be fully trying. Slowburn horror is one thing, but a film that progresses slowly as a distraction to show it doesn't totally know what it wants to do or what it's doing is an unfortunately lethal blow to a film's attempt at likability. The needless cat murder doesn't help its reputation either.

The plot: Dr. Sonny Blake (Rose McGowan) is a talk radio psychiatrist, working the late shift, giving random callers life advice and direction. Dr. Blake decides to move into to her childhood home after her alcoholic father dies, and upon moving in, meets the deeply inept, sociopath paperboy Derek Barber (Daniel Ross Owens), who lives next door. The paperboy, who may or may not have had some sort of relationship with her father, pesters Blake into oblivion, but the results are not taut and scary, but almost inherently laughable. Her first clue that something strange is up is when she sees that her dresser of nick-nacks has been rearranged by someone not herself. For a TV horror film made for a network like USA, or even Lifetime, perhaps that would be mildly frightening. For an audience hungering for tricky tactics of suspense from the man behind Jeepers Creepers, this is pretty third-rate material.

The performances are clearly gifted. Rose McGowan is admirably convincing in scenes that rest on her shoulders, and one of my favorite character actors, Ray Wise, is present, playing a detective hellbent on convincing Dr. Blake that nothing is happening. Despite something clearly being up, he persists that there isn't, and scenes following ones of that nature continue to play out this long, winded excursion of, strange kid does something, victim notices, victim contacts boyfriend and detectives, they say she's crazy, etc.

One wonders if Victor Salva aspired to make something more frightening, and one contemplates if the clearly miniscule budget paralyzed him to work with just the bare basics of horror filmmaking. If life is kind to him, he will make more films. Ones more impressive than Rosewood Lane, hopefully. And hopefully ones that don't feel gridlocked to conventions.

Starring: Rose McGowan, Daniel Ross Owens, and Ray Wise. Directed by: Victor Salva.

Nothing much comes together in this sloppy and somewhat confusing entry in the "suburbs are not all that safe" Genre. If we didn't know by now, it is a place with hidden horrors and beneath the clean exteriors lie dirty, and scary secrets.

What secrets reside here, are hardly explored, explained, or for that matter, halfway through this thing you won't care. It is a mishandled, muddled attempt that cannot be forgiven its lame premise and truly awful Script and Direction.

The Movie is disjointed and rarely remotely scary with a dull sense of disbelief. Characters behave in such a way that even Horror Movie conventions are stretched to a point of Audience forgiveness. Everything is telegraphed, draining what little suspense is concocted and it results in a clunky, clever-less Film that can be a chore to get through.

Making it to the end of this dud might be considered an achievement, but that accomplishment will soon dissipate because the End does not justify the Means. It is as flat and uninspired as the rest.