The only good
thing I have to say about A Haunted House is its willingness to spoof just one
film, rather than the attention deficient spoof films of the last decade or so,
which essentially just make jokes out of whatever films happen to be popular at
the time in rapid fire. This film takes its time, allowing a little more
confidence in the material and the film’s performers. Unfortunately, they never
deliver, but I appreciated the simplicity and sincerity of the attempt much
more than the spoofs which feel as though they were written by a dozen
unemployed comedians who watch too many movies.
The main point
that seems to come across in all of the jokes in A Haunted House is that Marlon
Wayans believes that everyone wants to sleep with him. I’m joking, of course,
but sincerely found myself dumbfounded by the number of jokes within the film
which have to do with characters coming into the home and hitting on Malcolm
(Wayans), the homeowner who has a ghost problem with the arrival of his demon-possessed
girlfriend, Kisha (Essence Atkins). Whether it’s his best friend trying to get
him to girlfriend swap, a gay ghost specialist (Nick Swardson) or any number of
other visitors, they all seem to want a piece of Malcolm. Even the ghost
eventually has its way with Wayans.
The jokes
don’t have time to get old, but the biggest problem is that there isn’t a lot
of difference between the jokes. Nearly all of the jokes are sex related, and
when that fails then the film turns to racism as the next humor point. Much of
the film is not terrible as much as it is simply unimaginative. It almost feels
as though there was no more than a rough script for the film when filming
began, perhaps even as the scenes were being filmed. Improvisation can work
both ways, to help a film or to send it spiraling in no direction.
The Blu-ray
includes a DVD and an Ultraviolet copy of the film as well. The special
features include a humorous “How to Survive a Paranormal Presence” featurette.
Entertainment Value:
3/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 2/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Disc Features: 2/10
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