Cold Creek Manor (2003)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Mike Figgis

Writer (WGA):

Richard Jefferies (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The perfect house hides the perfect crime.

Plot:

A family relocates from the city to a dilapidated house in the country that was once a grand estate. As they begin to renovate the place they discover their new home harbors secrets, conceals a horrific past, and may not be free of the former inhabitants completely.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Ephebophile | Old Age | Cap | Roof

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Dennis Quaid	...	Cooper Tilson
Sharon Stone	...	Leah Tilson
Stephen Dorff	...	Dale Massie
Juliette Lewis	...	Ruby
Kristen Stewart	...	Kristen Tilson
Ryan Wilson	...	Jesse Tilson
Dana Eskelson	...	Sheriff Ferguson
Christopher Plummer	...	Mr. Massie
Simon Reynolds	...	Ray Pinski
Kathleen Duborg	...	Ellen Pinski
Paula Brancati	...	Stephanie Pinski
Aidan Devine	...	Skip Linton
Wayne Robson	...	Stan Holland
Jordan Pettle	...	Declan
Ray Paisley	...	Dink

Also Known As:

La maison au fond de la baie (Canada: French title)
The Devil's Throat (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA | Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40089) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:12 (cut version) | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Germany:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Ayr, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Christopher Plummer only spent two days on the set. He was shooting one day, each with Dennis Quaid and Stephen Dorff.

Goofs:

Continuity: When he visits Dale's father in the nursing home/hospital, Cooper sets his camera on the tray at the foot of the bed, aimed at the old man, but not in close-up, and he doesn't change the zoom during the scene. Yet, when he shows the recording to the sheriff, the image is a close-up of the man's face.

Quotes:

Dale Massie: [about to kill Leah and Cooper] Quick question. Do you think I'm crazy? Yes or no?
Leah Tilson: [Scared] ... No.
Dale Massie: Wrong answer!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Messengers (2007)

Soundtrack:

All My Ex's Live in Texas

Amazing how the major league critics can crush a good flick!

I've seen way flakier movies that were smash hits. Most Hollywood thrillers & action movies have to be viewed with a willing suspension of disbelief anyhow. People do things they'd never do in real life. They ask stupid questions & accept answers that no one with a high school education and an IQ in even low triple digits would accept in real life. They walk away from falls, car crashes and burning buildings that would kill real human beings. They *split up* to look for the ghost/axe murder/evil demon! So, what's wrong with this one? I got involved. I got tense. I was on the edge of my seat.

I liked it.

The tension was built up without any reference to gory scenes, just creepy camera angles, shadows, the wind blowing curtains, the increasing feeling that Something Really Bad was just around the corner.

You get to see Sharon Stone looking almost like an ordinary human being. Dennis Quaid is his usual edgy self. Stephen Dorff does a great slide into madness.

If I'd believed everything I read about it, I never would've picked up the DVD. It's not Hitchcock, but it's definitely worth watching. Check it out.