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	...	Maureen
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 | tenant | engineer | cement | 

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Taglines:

Some secrets are best 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:

19 June 2009 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

A Prisioneira

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:

100 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The glowing symbol in the building lobby, made up of solid and broken lines, is the I Ching hexagram for Persevering. It is made by combining the symbols for Thunder and Wind.

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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 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

User Reviews

Shining antithesis.

Not since "The Shining" has a film in this genre captivated me unequivocally. What makes it so is simply the reverse of the former insofar as there was only one truly insane character. "Walled In" has only one sane character surrounded by a gaggle of obsessed, deranged, demented and wretched characters.

Sam is exposed to her deepest fears and her most convulsive nightmares as she attempts to make sense out of something that travels far beyond that which is sensible. Her engineering discipline is immediately compromised as she confronts the lunacy of the other characters and of the building she is hired to destroy.

The blueprints read a dubious meaning due to being incorrect by engineering standards and utterly preposterous in terms of what she discovers, either by accident or design. Her curiosity compels her to confront her fears as she leads and is led into secret passageways pointing to the reality of her terror.

The building itself emulates the ancient pyramids in reverse as evidenced by the form of the windows. What is consistent is the self tortured architect's believe that a building can have soul only if human beings are sacrificed within its walls, an irony not easily discounted.

The affects of all the various forms of torture, insanity and oppression are virtually unimaginable as Sam struggles to live within the depths of a nightmare. Deftly played by Ms. Barton and ably supported by a finely honed production staff and equally as adept actors, the film gave me some nightmares of my own.