WE ARE STILL HERE dvd

Haunted houses are  a staple of horror movies -- but what if, instead of a gothic mansion or home in the middle of the woods, it's a place in a nice neighborhood?  And what if one of the people wants it to be haunted?  We Are Still Here mixes several elements of horror, with a slightly more thoughtful element.

In 1979, middle-aged couple Anne and Paul Sacchetti (Barbara Crampton and Andrew Sensenig) are still dealing with the death of their teenage son Bobby.  To try and heal, they've moved from the city to a two-story house in the snowy country.  The move seems to be going fine -- except for problems with the furnace in the basement -- but Anne becomes convinced that the various incidents around the house, like doors slamming shut or pictures falling over, are proof that Bobby is there with them.

Of course, the house has a history.  Anne and Paul knew the house used to be a funeral parlor.  But neighbors Dave McCabe (Monte Markham) and his quiet wife Maddie (Susan Gibney) tell them more: The house belonged to Lassander Dagmar, who stole and sold corpses until they were run out of town by the townspeople.  And when leaving, Maddie slips the couple a note saying the house wants a family -- get out!

Not knowing what's going on, the Sacchettis invite their friends Jacob and Mary Lewis (Larry Fessender and Lisa Marie) to the house.  They're both new age folks, and Mary is a self-proclaimed psychic, and Anne wants them to make contact with Bobby's spirit.  In the meantime, the townsfolk seem to take an excessive interest in the Dagmar house's new inhabitants.  And charred and smoking figures seem to appear and attack people in the basement...

We Are Still Here is a fine horror movie.  Changing the haunted house tropes from teens in an isolated wood to a grieving family in a regular town works well, making the situation more believable.  There are several twists and turns in the story, and while the movie explodes in a cacophony of violence and gore at the end, the film manages a smooth transition to all that violence.  The actors are good -- feeling like regular people, not movie stars -- and the effects are sometimes cheesy, but even that feels like a good old B horror movie.  We Are Still Here is a good, creepy, scary movie -- and a great movie for Halloween.  (The DVD extras are mainly a making-of feature.)

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch