Walled In (2009)

A demolition company agent uncovers the horrifying secrets held within a building she's having razed.

Director:

Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Writers:

Serge Brussolo (novel), Rodolphe Tissot,

Stars:

Tim Allen, Mischa Barton, Darla Biccum

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Allen	...	Police Officer (as Timothy Allen)
Mischa Barton	...	Sam
Darla Biccum	...	Liz Walczak
Cameron Bright	...	Jimmy
Eugene Clark	...	Burnett
Mark D. Claxton	...	Richard (as Mark Claxton)
Pascal Greggory	...	Malestrazza
Shannon Jardine	...	Store Clerk
Noam Jenkins	...	Peter
Sophi Knight	...	Julie
Taylor Leslie	...	Lucy Walczak
Emily McAfee	...	Young Sam
Jane Redlyon	...	Denise
Rob Roy	...	Charles Walczak
Josh Strait	...	Vincent Walczak

Storyline

A young woman who recently graduated from engineering school travels to a remote location to supervise the demolition of a mysterious building. She soon discovers the horrifying secrets of the building and its past inhabitants, many of whom were victims of a vicious murderer who entombed his prey alive within its walls. Now she must turn the tables on the killer before she becomes his latest victim.

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Plot Keywords:

building | demolition | caretaker | architect | cement | 

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Taglines:

Some secrets are left buried.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Country:

USA France Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Atrapados vivos

Filming Locations:

Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Experiences Films, Forecast Pictures, Leomax Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 100 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although a double was employed to run through everything beforehand and make sure it was safe, Mischa Barton performed all of her own stunts.

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Goofs

When Sam is researching the building on the Internet, the article she reads spells architect wrongly.

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Quotes

Jimmy: The lights go off every 6 minutes. You know, save electricity and stuff. If you spend a day in the halls, you have to hit the switch 240 times.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

User Reviews

Pleasant Surprise

I rented this movie yesterday and really didn't expect much to be honest. Many current horror titles are very uninspired and frankly rely too much on gore and not enough on story or atmosphere. I was surprised though, it was an engaging story, taking inspiration for Poe perhaps, Agento and others which isn't a bad thing, and actually keeping a sense of its own identity and style. I love horror movies, especially ones that rely more on imagination and atmosphere, this one does to an extent but then focuses on the human element and becomes more of a thriller, in this I felt a little cheated.

The building which is the object of the movie is simply a nice piece of Gothic, deco art. Sinister and yet elegant in its simplicity, huge and monstrous in its presence. The premise works in the beginning and the actors do not disappoint. It is suggestion that works here as well as a psychological drama that is as twisted as an abnormal Mother and son relationship and dark secrets of the past mingled with arcane knowledge of the architecture of forbidden temples. Sadly though, I wished for more emphasis on the later aspect, it held my interest and fascination, but it veered into a film about a demented teenage crush. If more time had been spent on the architect, his history and theories as well as the previous murders then the chill factor would have been amped up.

The building should have been the real star here and its creator and to a large extent it is, yet it slowly is pushed into the background and dwarfed by a teenager's obsession and some of the dwellings rather seemed to be almost inconsistent in their art direction. The inhabited dwellings almost seemed cheap, bland compared to the overall presence of the building. It caused a sense of confusion, perhaps intentional.

Enjoyable yet flawed and could have been developed into a much richer film. It is still a fun view. I hope the director continues with the genre, though this film has its flaws, the director has potential.