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Film: The Seduction of Rose Parrish
Year: 2021
Director: Charles Band
Writers: Charles Band
Starring: Kelly Connor, Justin Gerhard and Lily Knight
Review:
This was a short film that I got the chance to see on DVD thanks to Laura from Scandal Coactive. I'll be honest, when I requested a screener copy, I didn't realize that this was a short. It wasn't until looking it up ahead of time that I figured it out. Seeing that this was directed and written by Charlie Band also intrigued me as I grew up as a Full Moon Features fan.
Synopsis: a young woman recovering from a messy breakup is given her great-great-grandparents' house by her aunt. Inside, a seductive, ghostly presence from the past awaits her.
This synopsis gives a good recap. Rose Parrish (Kelly Connor) is the young woman who was living in Los Angeles when she went through her breakup. Her aunt is Savannah (Lily Knight) who has been taking care of the house. This place was built by their family and she wants it to stay in their possession.
Rose is giving the history about how Thomas Parrish (Justin Gerhard) built the house. Tragedy struck that his wife passed away during childbirth, with the baby also dying. He didn't live too much longer than that. Rose inquires as to why no one lives here to which her aunt tells her that there are ghosts. Our lead noticed something as she moved in. We got a point of view shot, being that the ghostly presence from the attic watched from above.
From the first night that Rose is staying here, she is uncomfortable. She feels someone is watching her. The mirrors seem to be a portal to the other world. Rose doesn't feel threatened physically by the entity. She is aroused though by the sight of them. What makes this odd though, this is her ancestor. Rose is confused about her own life and must decide what to do about the ghosts living in her new home.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the story. Where I want to start then is that this is an interesting short to come from Band. I read somewhere that this was filmed in the house that Full Moon bought in Ohio. It seemed like he wanted to film something in it before they renovated it. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I can see that. I loved the setting and the character that came with this place. There is a modern gothic feel that can be difficult to capture when you're setting in the United States. Then to also add to that, the ghost isn't the villain here.
Then to delve deeper into this one, there isn't much to the story. I'm not entirely sure what the point of it is to be honest. That is partly why it feels like Band just wanted to produce something in this location due to how good it looks. We know that Rose just went through a rough breakup, so she needs to heal emotionally. Thomas is attracted to her. Part of that seems for her lifeforce. What is odd is that she is related to him, directly. I don't hate the incest angle and Thomas being a spirit does make it less weird. I'm also getting vibes of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches. When you're involved in the supernatural, it blurs the line of what is legal and morally right.
There is a problem that I have with the story that I've alluded to. I'm not sure what the purpose of the story is. Rose is broken and needs fixing. Thomas is as well and has been haunting this house. Rose is freaked out by him and doesn't know what he wants. There is sexual tension there that they give into. Aunt Savannah shows up to what seems like to interrupt. Since this runs just over 30 minutes, there isn't much more explained. It feels incomplete to me.
That's all I need to go into with the story so let's finish out with filmmaking. I'll go over the acting performance, first as I thought Connor and Gerhard were good for their look. We see the former nude which isn't bad. There isn't much to their performances, but they capture the sexual tension needed. I'm not fully sure that I'd call this a seduction of her character though. Knight is also solid as the aunt who seems like a good guiding force. The cinematography is also good. They capture the charm of the place this is set. There is CGI here that both works and doesn't. I'm not shocked knowing this is Full Moon. Other than that, I thought the soundtrack fit what was needed.
In conclusion, I think this is a well-made short. The problem is that I don't know what the purpose is though. The setting is great. I love this old house that is used. I'd say that the performances of Connor and Gerhard are solid. They bring their characters to life. I'd even say that things they do with the effects are fine. That also comes with its issues. There isn't much of a story to tell here. I'd say if you're interested give this a watch, but I also don't think you're missing much here. This doesn't even necessarily fit most of what you get from Full Moon, which does add novelty value.
My Rating: 4 out of 10