The movie starts as a subtle parody on the home improvement variety of reality TV shows. We are treated to a couple looking to buy a "fixer-upper" and find the most horrendous of such houses in the woods of Moldova. As we walk around the house and property the boyfriend looks understandably disgusted by the property, while his girlfriend starts to suddenly be quite fond. The look on his face at the end of this segment, in reaction to her love of the property, is worth the beginning in itself.
The film then switches to a found footage style movie as we join the television crew as they are prepping for a return visit to see how the couple has fared in their rehabilitation of the house. This is where the movie remains for the bulk of its running time.
We return to the village and are greeted by a village that one usually expects to meet in a horror film based in a small town. The people are all stand-offish and look distrusting towards the outsiders. The only exception to the rule is our real estate agent who was along for the original home improvement episode, Vladimir.
The film builds a great amount of unease and creepy feeling through this whole portion of the movie. We follow the film crew around and things slowly begin to go wrong. It is a nice slow build, but once the film decides to hand out the pay-out, it goes ballistic.
This is where the movie will either become the greatest movie you have ever seen, or it will become a crushing disappointment. The movie runs the whole time with a pleasant little bit of humor. It never delivers huge belly laughs, but it is obvious the movie has a sense of humor. But it also has its horror. The filmmakers had a choice at the end to either go full Horror, or to turn things around and go comedy. They decided to do the latter, and the whole ending is full of the most absurd CGI to be seen since 1995. The ridiculous nature of what we see ruins much of the dread of the beginning.
This ending will be a treasure for those who were enjoying the jokes and humor of the first portion of the movie. The enjoyment for the viewer depends on where he/she was during the whole movie and which aspect was working for said person. I loved the beginning spoof of the reality show, and I also enjoyed the slight humor with the growing dread. The ending did not work for me at all. I got a couple of chuckles, but I was disappointed that it turned out as it did. The movie does come recommended, but I suggest you prepare for a rather unique ending that will either completely ruin the movie, or make your day.
Film viewed on Netflix.
*** out of *****
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