Directed by Niko Volonakis and written by Patricia V. Davis, Lyvia's House is a paranoid thriller that I initially thought would fall into the supernatural but instead deals with gaslighting alongside elements of a slasher. Set in an interesting location, with an engaging story and a great soundtrack, this was one film that stayed consistently entertaining throughout. Mild spoilers to follow.
Several months after falling in love with the man of her dreams, Tara (Tara Nichol Caldwell) is convinced by him - architect Johnny (Joshua Malekos - Twisted) to move out to the country, some six hundred miles away from her family and friends. While on a job out there Johnny had been sold a huge house by an Italian artist - Lyvia, who had been wanting to sell her home quickly so she could return to Italy. The couple move in and things initially appear to be perfect. Johnny's behaviour soon begins to concern Tara, with things he says not matching up with reality. Despite saying he hadn't been to the area previously (outside of the job at Lyvia's home), he reveals knowledge of places and people in the nearby town, while he seems very lax in sorting out the internet and phone for the new house even though he knows this is something that Tara is desperate for.
When someone is discovered murdered in a nearby orchard, Tara discovers it might have a link to a series of brutal serial killings that took place in that same orchard some twenty years previously, and it seems that somehow Johnny might have a link to those murders, though she doesn't know how.
I liked that it was never really made a secret that Johnny was gaslighting Tara, making him into a detestable and secretive character. The way he lies and twists truths is obvious to both the protagonist and viewers, and even comes across to other characters who interact with him. There are moments set up to make it seem like Tara might be going crazy, such as a recurring incident at night when she spots a rat in the home, but who Johnny is never able to locate and tries to convince her it is a nightmare. Other characters are just as odd and suspicious, such as creepy near mute and mentally ill Georgie (Andrew Diego) who appears to be obsessed with the couple, and the PTSD suffering former soldier Brian (Pete Davis) who is creepy in his own way. The light of the film for Tara is her best friend Helen (Danielle Octavien) who Tara uses as a soundboard for her fears and suspicions, as well as post office manager Mary Ann (Ann Marie Gideon) who is able to provide Tara with the grisly history of the town. I can't say that there was a bad character to be found here, each serving important roles to carry the story forward.
This is a film more paranoid than scary, there is a body count but this mainly takes place in the infrequent flashbacks that show what happened twenty years previously (those parts are apparently based on true events). Mainly the horror comes from the situation that Tara has found herself in, living in a remote house with someone she increasingly cannot trust. The soundtrack from start to finish is perfect, really helping with the paranoid vibe, while the look of the film is often beautiful, the third act scene in an orchard approaching sundown really looked special, with editing often being intelligent and helping with the atmosphere and vibe of the movie. The eventual reveals had echoes of Scream to them, something I had seen before but I would by lying if I said I had perfectly pieced together what was going on myself.
Lyvia's House started off good and it maintained that feeling from beginning to end. At nearly two hours this maintained my interest throughout, with myself invested in the story and where it would end up going. Lyvia's House releases on 1st October via Stonecutter Media on Vudu/Fandango at Home and local cable and satellite providers, with it also coming to additional platforms such as iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.
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