House of Bones   Starring: Corin Nemec and Charisma Carpenter Signature Entertainment www.signature-entertainment.co.uk RRP: £5.00 SIG13 Certificate: 18 Available 03 October 2011

A TV show which investigates dubious haunted houses has hit a serious ratings slump. The host of the show, who sees himself as a star, is told in no uncertain terms that he has to go out on location and shake things up a bit. The production team shows up at the next house with their equipment, and are introduced to a young woman who claims to be a psychic. Immediately, she begins to make her uncomfortable feelings about the house known. The others believe it is just for effect, but a number of events - including the disappearance of one of their number, and corpses in the walls, leads them to believe that the house has systematically built-up psychic energy over the years so that it has taken on a sentience of its own. But now that they are in, the house refuses to let them leave. And then the self-centred host of the show arrives...

The cover and the blurb for this release led me to believe that House of Bones would be a low-key, low-budget and amateurish affair. However, although it drives perilously close, it somehow manages to steer clear of cringeworthy cliches by actually highlighting them (which is more than I can say for my metaphors!).

For example, certain characters - particularly the producer - react to situations by whipping-out their hand-held camera and saying the like of, “This will make great TV!”

So, initially, all unusual events are met with enthusiastically, as if expecting them to be staged. Only then does the tension begin to build.

This is surprisingly well-handled and entertaining, but it is let down by an abrupt and somewhat predictable ending. Oh, and by the fact there are no extras.

7

Ty Power