'Devils': Mimi Leder's version New Orleans. The owner of the local prestigious sanatorium is reputed to be an unthinkable tyrant not only in the professional circle, but also in the personal one, terrifying not only his wife, who is distinguished by poor health, but also his mistress. And then one day there comes a moment when women decide to organize the murder of their faithful.
The third variation on the theme of the famous horror noir “The Devil” of 1954 by the French director Henri-Georges Clouseau, the film “House with a Secret” of 1993, filmed for television by the director Mimi Leder, the most famous films of which are “Pay forward” and “Collision with the abyss”, cannot claim the laurels of the film masterpiece in any way, being a very mediocre and weak from the artistic point of view of the film Clouseau, because in fact only the scene has changed, the plot of no significant transformations. A special atmosphere for the film would add the flavor of New Orleans, but it is almost not in the film, but there is an overly deliberate quoting of the original tape down to the details and, even in comparison with the 1996 version in which Sharon Stone and Isabel Adjani soloed, “House with a Secret” loses on all main points, becoming a tortured low-budget production, devoid of individuality, but full of exploitation.
The duet of actresses Melissa Gilbert and Kate Vernon in the role of “devils” is not in comparison with the duo of Vera Clouseau and Simone Signoret and, although Melissa Gilbert tries to pull the film out with her character, really playing dramatic, the film still does not get better. Bruce Bockleitner in the role of an absolute antagonist looks good, but nothing more; his game is rather rough and not always convincing.
The camera work of Thomas Del Root and the soundtrack from the composer Anthony Marinelli are at the highest level of mediocrity, because the film was shot unoriginally, without the spirit of suspense and with a great deal of predictability in the almost complete absence of intrigue, confirming that not always the American television product is at a decent level.
So, "House with a Secret" is an extremely unfortunate remake of the movie "Devils", boring, weak, overly stereotyped. Out of respect and love for the original, this film is better not to watch at all.
4 out of 10