The Disappointments Room

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The Disappointments Room is directed by D.J. Caruso, written by Wentworth Miller, and stars Kate Beckinsale. A family moves into a house in the country after suffering a recent tragedy. Dana (Beckinsale) discovers a skeleton key, and unlocks a room in the house that begins showing her horrific things, which leads her to uncover the house’s secrets. That’s the gist of what the movie’s official given plot synopsis is. In reality,  The Disappointments Room is a very telling title for what’s to come. From a writing and directing standpoint, this movie just sort of feels like one non-event after the other. I have no problem with a slow-burn-style of movie. The problem with this movie is that it lacks the creative atmosphere necessary to make a good horror movie. The scares in this movie are almost entirely fake-out scares and/or dream sequences I’ve seen a million times before. When you reach 20 minutes, and you’re still waiting for something, anything, to happen, stop expecting a good product. The acting is awful. It’s incredibly bland and unemotional. For example, I like Kate Beckinsale as an actress, but here, she puts in zero effort or investment. That’s just sad. The characters feel very thinly written. Yes, the family tragedy is in the movie. The issue is, it doesn’t really factor into anything, and doesn’t flesh the characters out at all. With Beckinsale’s character, you know that she’s a mother, wife, and architect. But, she’s never developed past that point. Hell, the pet cat feels like the most invested actor (and most developed character) in the movie. On the rare occasion something potentially interesting happens in this movie, it only confuses me, and it doesn’t feel earned. This movie suffers from a meandering plot, thinly written things that barely pass for characters, and bland direction. Don’t watch The Disappointments Room.  

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