I have seen several suspense films recently and most of them seem to have failed miserably. Films with low budgets don’t bother me as long as they tell a good story. After watching 7Days to Live I feel like maybe there is still hope for the horror/suspense genre. Every movie can’t be The Sixth Sense or any other Shamalayan film. However, 7 Days to Live is an excellent story that managed to hold my attention and deliver a decent amount of suspense. It was formulaic in some aspects and maybe a tad bit predictable, but well done. The budget seems to have been a bit better than some of the other drivel I have subjected myself to recently.

The plot of this film surrounds an old abandoned house that has memories. Amityville Horror might be the first film that comes to mind…but there have been a host of others. What you do with those memories is another thing entirely. 7 Days to Live is not in the same ballpark with Amityville Horror, but in my opinion exceeds some of the other haunted house films (with large budgets) I have seen. Following the death of their son, a couple relocates to the country to recover. The father is a writer who has a best seller…the change of locale may be the inspiration he needs to get over the hump and write his next book. They purchase a house which has been vacant for twenty-three years…it was the site of a murder in 1976, but nobody bothers to tell them this fact. Small personality changes start appearing in both characters leading you to wonder what the source of their shifting moods might be. It requires a steadfast commitment to ignore the illusion they are witnessing to save themselves from the spirits of the house.

The plot is interesting even if it has been done different ways in the past. The story evolves slowly, even thought we experience a “countdown” from very early in the film. The countdown and mood changes add to the suspense factor. The suspense of this movie is created by the writing more so than the visual effects. The dialogue is interesting, especially because this is a British film. The dialogue inserts language I am unfamiliar with at times, which adds to my own curiosity regarding this movie. The exchanges between the characters are mostly believable, although there were a couple of conversations that I thought were a bit forced. The characters are well developed and provided enough dimension to connect with the audience. I actually cared about the characters and the outcome of this movie, which is a crap shoot for me when it comes to this genre. Some of these films kill the characters off before you ever get a chance to know them. This film does an excellent job of introducing the characters and developing them along the plot line.

The special effects in this movie were above average. 7 Days to Livewas released in 2000, so a great deal of improvement has been made in the area of CGI during that time frame. However, this movie was not cutting edge in 2000, either. The budget wasn’t necessarily a low budget, but the effects could have been improved upon. There are some computer generated effects of dissolving matter that would have been too high tech for a low budget film but don’t quite reach the level of a well packaged special effect. The set location was fantastic and the props were excellent. Some of the effects that were done without CGI were actually very believable.

Because this is a British film, I was unfamiliar with most of the cast. I recognized Amanda Plummer from Pulp Fiction. She played the female lead and easily carried this film. Her portrayal of a woman recovering from the death of her son, while confronting the demons of a new home was superb. Her husband was portrayed by Sean Pertwee who I am unfamiliar with. His acting was excellent. He reminded me a bit of Russell Crowe in his performance. His character slowly goes over the edge. His ability to shift from likable to devilish and back was refreshing. His character was consistently believable. The other major role in this film was a retired Police Officer named Farrell who was played by Nick Brimble. Brimble is another actor I am unfamiliar with but who has appears to be active in England. Brimble sort of appears and disappears throughout the film. His character could have used a little more exploration. However, his performance was excellent. Overall, the cast did a great job of making this film work. A strong script and spot on acting resulted in a film that somehow got overlooked in 2000.

7 Days to Live was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. There were some violent scenes, to include a dead dog which might disturb younger viewers. The language was a bit tawdry as well. There was a bit of alcohol consumption but no drug use. There were not any adult situations or nudity. The imagery was dark and evil which might promote nightmares in younger viewers. This film was a good balance of terror and suspense, relying more on the suspenseful elements to tell the story than cheap gore. I would still be hesitant to allow this movie for viewing to a pre-teen audience.

I enjoyed 7 Days to Live. It is the best horror/suspense movie I have seen in months (at least). Although there were some short-comings…especially in the area of special effects, the cast and writing were able to carry the film. The plot takes a concept that has been used extensively and puts a new spin on it. This film would not necessarily be considered fresh, but it was definitely refreshing. The dialogue was excellent and the acting was enjoyable. As entertainment, this movie delivered. I would give 7 Days to Live the benefit of the doubt and rate it four stars out of a possible five.