A Haunted House begins with Malcolm Johnson (Marlon Wayans) starting up his new camera for the first time in order to document the first few days after his girlfriend Kisha moves into his home. The entire film is shot from different perspectives around the home just as fans would have seen in the Paranormal Activity series, and it's not long before strange occurrences begin happening around the house that leads the happy couple to inviting all types of strange characters into their home to help with their ghost problem. The jokes begin from the opening scene, as Malcolm struggles to get his camera to work, because he forgets to remove the lens cap. Not all of the jokes in the film are funny, but there are enough good ones to make the film worth a watch.
Fans who have enjoyed The Scary Movie series, White Chicks or The Wayans Bros. should already know what to expect from Marlon Wayan's character in the film. Malcolm is a silly character that always seems ready to do anything to show off in front of his character. His girlfriend Kisha, played by Essence Atkins, struggles to adapt to her new environment at first but soon gets more comfortable in Malcolm's home than the main character would have hoped. Other actors in the film include Cedric the Entertainer as a memorable priest that shows up near the end of the film, David Koechner, who has a few funny scenes of his own, and a gay physic portrayed by actor Nick Swardson. Despite having some pretty big name celebrities in the film, A Haunted House suffers from some rather poor acting that makes the film seem much more like a prolonged skit from Saturday Night Live than a full length movie, as viewers would swear the actors are on the verge of bursting into laughter and ruining a scene several times during the flick.
By the time the credits roll, viewers will likely be happy they watched A Haunted House, even if there aren't enough memorable scenes in the film to recall what made the movie so funny. More of the jokes in the film succeed rather than fail, but certain scenes are head scratching bad and ruin the flow of humor the film attempts to establish. A Haunted House isn't a film for everyone, but fans should have a good idea going in if they will like the movie or not. Fans of Marlon Wayans and the silly humor that comes along with the actor for his roles will enjoy A Haunted House, while everyone else will want to avoid the movie like a possessed girlfriend. Look for A Haunted House on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming today!
A Haunted House is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and Video on Demand. A Haunted House is rated R by the MPAA. For more information on the film, check out the official A Haunted House website.
Movie Features:
Release Date: January 11, 2013 (DVD Release: April 23, 2013)
Director: Michael Tiddes
Running Time: 86 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins & Marlene Forte