The Tenement DVD Review:

The little town of Fairview Falls has been gripped by death for over twenty years. There is one building however that has become a magnet for evil, a place that people fear to pass and dread to live. For in this place has far too many horrific stories to tell and has spawned killers that have gripped Fairview Falls in fear for far too long. This place is the tenement.

Extremely low budget filmmaking can be a hot bed for new, emerging talent. The emphasis is on story and characters because budget restricts any grandiose expenditure on anything else. The actors have to be good and the writing has to be original or different to make it standout. Unfortunately the people behind The Tenement have none of these attributes.

This is amateur dramatics put to screen and that remark is condescending towards that level of acting. You will never witness acting this bad outside of your local high school or even kindergarten. You’d have watched nativity plays from the under-fives with more astute performances. Yes we understand that many of these people have probably never acted before but you can really tell as they all seem like they are reading there lines off cue cards just off screen. The performances are so over-the top that make the movie more comedic than horrific.

At its heart the interconnected stories are not that bad. While they may not be the most original of premises, as writer/director Glen Baisley does draw on a lot of horror movie influences, the basic stories are there for a good collection of horror tales. The story about Sarah, the mute girl protected by an unearthly figure is especially good. This is also probably the best acted of the stories as there is not much dialogue in it for the actors to annihilate.

You have to applaud people who go out and make a movie, especially those on a micro-budget using camcorders and friends for actors. Being creative and bringing a dream to life is great and an excellent achievement for everyone involved. The problem is that the acting totally ruins what could have been a good collection of interconnected horror stories. The performances turn the gruesome into the giggles, as you will spend most of your time laughing when you should be hiding behind your pillow. As this is the first of a trilogy, lets hope that Glen Baisley takes a trip to this local acting school to hire his next acting ensemble, as his scripts deserve better than this.

Star Rating = * *

DVD EXTRAS

Directors/Producers/Actors Commentary
With Glen Baisley (writer/director), Diana Baisley (Production Assistant/Actress) and stars Michael Gingold, Mike Lane, Jude Pucillo and John Sudol

Bonus Material (56 mins)

The World of Light & Dark

The Winston Korman Movie Marathon (with shorts “Jack & Jill” and “No Trespassing”)
Anatomy of Horror: The Making of a Mask

5 Deleted Scenes

Alternative Opening

2 Alternative Endings

2 Uncut Exotic Dancer Scenes

Bloopers, Gags & Behind the Scenes

The Light & Dark Publicity Tour

Photo Gallery with Sal Sirchia singing “Can’t Love Without You”

Movie Trailer

Gag Ending with Credits

Jamie Kelwick

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