Cold Creek Manor Review

Modern horror escapes me a bit, because I usually am lost in the 1980s or something. “Cold Creek Manor” came across my desk and I didn’t want to see it at first glance. It didn’t really appeal to me at first, but then I gave it a try, and decided it was well worth my time, especially with a cast that featured good actors. Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone are starring so that’s a plus side, making this an interesting option overall. The plot is simple enough, a family wants to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city so they decide to buy an old mansion somewhere far from the city, and they plan on fixing it all up. However, things go awry when the original owner shows up and haunts them, causing a world of chaos for them to have to deal with overall.

The movie looks good, and that’s due in large part to the budget. This was not a made for DVD movie or anything like that, and it shows the way the film is setup, as well as the quality of the acting. The plot takes some time to develop. It crawls at times, trying to build tension, and it just never feels too scary. Is “Cold Creek Manor” scary? Nope. “Cold Creek Manor” just kind of meanders its way through the plot points, and they are ridiculous at times.

The family is convinced to hire the old owner, and things just go awry from there. Weird things start to happen, including being chased in a vehicle, snakes being found in the home, and a horse dying. These are all supposed to lead us to believe that Dale is the main culprit, and well, there’s no reason to not believe it since he is the one issue that keeps coming up.

I gave “Cold Creek Manor” a fair chance. I watched it, and I mulled it over, and can’t recommend it. It’s convoluted at best. There’s no reason why a family well off enough to own the property would hire some stranger to fix things up, even if he lived there before. There’s a deeper story to the house, and of course Dale causes some issues too, but meh, by the time you find that all out, you have most likely given up on the movie. I know I wanted to throw in the towel several times. It’s not a great movie, and while it visually looks ok, it just can’t salvage a slow moving plot design. I don’t recommend it.