House of Fears

Lore & Background

The film opens with a man and woman at an African digging site; the woman takes a monkey statue. In Salem, Oregon, security guard Hamadi arrives at 'The House of Fears' with his dog and finds the statue, but is attacked by his dog. Meanwhile, Samantha moves in with her step-sister Hailey. Hailey and friends—Carter, Zane, Devon, and Candice—sneak into the haunted house before its opening, bringing Samantha along. Zane turns on the power, and the group explores, revealing their fears: Zane fears sharp knives, Candice fears suffocation, and Hailey is claustrophobic. Zane is killed by a mannequin; Candice is suffocated in a mummy tomb. The survivors discover the statue brings fears to life. They are attacked by a scarecrow (Samantha's fear), a grave-digger, and a clown. Carter is electrocuted, Devon is killed by the clown, and Hailey is trapped in a coffin. Samantha breaks the statue, killing the scarecrow, and the sisters escape. The statue is shown shaking, presumably reassembling.

Reader's Guide

House of Fears is a direct-to-DVD horror film that follows a group of teenagers trapped in a haunted house where a cursed monkey statue manifests their deepest fears. The film received largely negative reviews: Dread Central gave it 1.5 out of 5, criticizing bland characters and lack of scares. Bloody Disgusting panned the screenplay and direction. HorrorNews.net gave a more positive review, noting the film's lack of originality but commending its acting, creature design, and cinematography. The film is notable for an uncredited cameo by Jared Padalecki, then known for Supernatural. Its release history includes multiple distributors, and it remains a minor entry in late-2000s horror.

Did You Know?

• The film features an uncredited cameo by Jared Padalecki as J.P., a young man at the party.
• The monkey statue, which brings fears to life, is shown shaking at the end, presumably reassembling itself.
• The film was released direct-to-DVD in the UK on April 27, 2009, and in the US by Your Indie Films.
• Dread Central gave the film a score of 1.5 out of 5.