Closet Space (2008) User Reviews

FX can't save a movie

[ravenscar-d · 3/10 · 21 January 2008]

I was at the recent screening of this film at Fangoria, and I had several issues with the film. Most of it was dialogue-based - it struck me as false, even by horror standards. Some of the lines were played (or were seemingly played) for quips and it didn't settle well with the rest of what was trying to be a tense thriller. What was meant to be, I guess sardonic, came across as simply cheesy.

The pacing was long - there were a lot of shots of the actors stumbling along in the dark that could have been sacrificed to move to the exposition faster, or portions of the exposition could have been doled out along the way.

All that said - full kudos to the FX team. For a shoestring budget, they made the best. While some of the "closet set" shots were a little thin, the majority of the practical blood and make-up gags were well executed. I think the director and the crew managed to stretch a little quite far.

And the opening credit sequence was very well done. Editing, photography, dialogue and sound were tight, concise, and enticing.

But unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me interested.

Pretty good for the obviously tiny budget

[matches81 · 5/10 · 20 May 2008]

I just rented this one, mainly because of the DVD case saying "based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft". After a few other movies I've seen that said to be based on Lovecraft I have to say I was cautious, but still I wanted to like it.

Overall, I actually do like this one. The budget obviously was tiny, so, the picture quality is really bad, the sound FX often sound off and some of the voice-overs don't match too good either. Still, the whole thing manages to stay enjoyable, if you're able to lower your expectations considerably in those regards and don't compare it to current blockbusters. The story is alright, although I simply have no idea on what Lovecraft story it supposedly is based on and the credits don't even mention Lovecraft. Still, it has some Lovecraftian moments in there and the creatures also definitely go in that direction. The acting isn't brilliant for sure, but I've truly seen far worse, although the dialog sometimes gets a little on the weird side of things. The visual FX actually are pretty good overall, again considering the budget, and never get in the way. One flaw that can't be attributed to the budget is that sometimes props go missing and reappear from scene to scene, especially obvious when those things are lights in an overall very dark movie. The ending is pretty predictable overall, but not bad.

In the end I enjoyed this one and I'd say even compared to some way more expensive movies in the Lovecraft corner, this one holds up pretty well.

COULD WE CLOSE THE DOOR?

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 7 December 2018]

Professor Jack (James LaMarr) takes the class on a field trip to his closet. This isn't your ordinary closet, but one of those inter-dimensional, break out those quantum terms and make a few up type of closet. Not as good as the one in HOUSE, but it could hold more shoes. All but Laurie (Evan Scott) wanted to go into the closet, but eventually she got dragged into it.

It is not too hard to make a film in a dark room with everyone strung up with Christmas lights walking slow and saying "What is that?" The special effects were cheesy. I could have lived with that if the acting and dialogue was more entertaining. Available on multi-packs.

It was suggested in the film to get the government involved. This would have been classified as a CONFINE SPACE ENTRY. The room would serve as the incident scene with a command and control center set up outside the house with a field full of trailers with various labs and experts. The initial entry would most likely have been robotic, testing the air and performing sampling. Afterwards people dressed out in protective clothing hooked to a rescue winch would slowly explore the closet, performing a dress down and decontamination upon exiting. I think it would have blown the budget.

Guide: F-bomb. No nudity. EVIL DEAD plant rape.

Wow Bad!

[ivsale · 27 March 2008]

One hates to be mean, but everyone involved in this "film" please keep your day jobs. The acting, writing, look, F/X, everything is just so amateur.

I was dragged to a screening here in Texas with some friends and they apologized afterward for making me go. I truly tried to like it for the independent spirit, but it is worse than Ed Wood bad.

With all the garbage out there, you would think that people would know what to avoid. It amazes me that these people who attempt to make a movie, still do not know how to put one together that is remotely entertaining. Stay Away!

Lovecraftian? What?!

[stephenhawkingsfootballs · 1/10 · 26 September 2008]

I'm going to agree with some of the other reviewers and start off by saying that I hate to be mean. But sometimes you just have to be honest. I saw this in a packed theater here in Houston and have to admit, at first I was excited. The notion of seeing a super low budget horror flick in theaters appealed to me. I love the DIY ethos and love the fact that it would be displayed in a public setting. But from the beginning that enthusiasm quickly drained. I mean, there are lots of things one can forgive in low-budget flicks. But the one thing I cannot forgive is an out of focus camera. At first I thought hmmm maybe it's just that one shot...but it played for almost an entire scene...and it made it in the film. The other thing is the constant comparisons I've read to this honoring Lovecraft. Maybe Stuart Gordon's interpretation to what he thinks Lovecraft's writing was, but I don't see anything even remotely "Lovecraftian" in execution. There was bad ADR, there was the bad acting...there was even a moment at the end of the flick where all is revealed (I won't give away what) and the audience (at least myself) knows exactly what has happened yet the main character says exactly what has just happened, like the filmmakers thought their audience was stupid. Just pass on this flick and don't bother wasting your time.

Fun low-budget Lovecraftian horror

[Jim-D · 9/10 · 26 September 2007]

Closet Space is a very interesting little film. It was made on a shoestring budget, but manages to capture a lot of the enormity that was the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

The film follows a group of college students who are searching for their missing professor. When they arrive at an old farmhouse where he was last working, they discover a shocking secret. The house contains a closet door that serves as an inter-dimensional portal between our world and that of Lovecraft's tentacle-whipping, bile-spewing monsters. Well, needless to say, the kids venture in, the monsters venture out, and all Hell breaks loose.

The film starts rather slowly and builds toward a very tight finale, in which several surprising plot points are revealed and a final showdown of man vs. beast takes place.

The acting is above par on almost all accounts and the effects are killer throughout. While you most certainly won't forget that you're watching a low budget feature, you'll probably be surprised by how well it covered the often-maligned Lovecraft mythos without becoming a self-referential mess.

I caught an early screening of Closet Space and thoroughly enjoying it from beginning to bloody end. I hope its legit DVD very soon!