Walled In

WALLED IN is yet another straight-to-DVD entry in the run of gruelling, women-in-peril serial killer movies. This one has a slightly novel plot to recommend it, involving a young female engineer who orchestrates the demolition of various run-down buildings. She comes to one particular spot that boasts a weird history and a number of tenants who so far have refused to leave their derelict locale, and before long events of the past are catching up with the present...

Truth be told, there's very little about WALLED IN that hasn't been done previously - and better. The whole idea of a killer keeping his victims alive in a pit was done previously in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, where it had a reason to it too (he was fattening them up to make his 'skin suit'). Here, it's just unending misery enlivened by a few brief gore effects to keep the jaded horror fan happy.

The script is very slim and the unappealing dialogue one of the film's worst aspects. Mischa Barton makes for a commendably tough heroine but the film's supporting characters feel, well, vanilla, by comparison, and for a horror film there just aren't many scares. I ended up watching just waiting for the end to arrive.