A Haunted House

A Haunted House
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2013; 13 years ago
Founder	Michael Tiddes (director), Marlon Wayans (writer and producer)
Products	Satirical horror comedy film

A Haunted House is a 2013 American film blending satirical elements with horror comedy, directed by Michael Tiddes and both written and produced by Marlon Wayans. The cast features Wayans alongside Essence Atkins, Cedric the Entertainer, Nick Swardson, David Koechner, and Dave Sheridan.

Wayans characterized the movie as "not strictly a parody but rather a film featuring humorous characters who act contrary to typical behavior seen in comparable horror movies," focusing on the "found footage" horror subgenre popularized by titles such as Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside. Upon its release on January 11, 2013, the film was met with predominantly unfavorable critical reception yet achieved notable box office success, earning $60 million against a modest $2.5 million production budget. Its follow-up, A Haunted House 2, was released on April 18, 2014.

Plot

In August 2012, Malcolm and Kisha, a young couple, begin living together. Shortly after moving in, Kisha accidentally kills Malcolm’s dog, Shiloh. During their first night, Malcolm is disturbed by Kisha’s loud flatulence, which forces him to leave the bedroom. The following morning, Kisha becomes convinced their home is haunted after discovering her keys lying on the floor. To challenge this belief, Malcolm enlists the help of Dan the Security Man and his brother Bobby to install surveillance cameras. Despite Kisha’s objections, Malcolm secretly records their intimate moments but later notices the door moving in the footage, which he initially attributes to their activity.

As supernatural occurrences intensify, Malcolm contemplates relocating but finds himself unable to sell the house due to a sluggish market. They hire Chip, a psychic who quickly develops an attraction to Malcolm. Although Chip detects no paranormal presence at first, he uncovers that Kisha previously made a pact with the devil over a pair of shoes and warns her about potential repercussions. Kisha then shares an old video from her childhood revealing paranormal events connected to an imaginary friend named Tony. One evening, Kisha displays bizarre behavior—dancing silently and consuming raw food along with spoiled milk—and later has no recollection of these actions.

Kisha urges Malcolm to investigate strange noises, which turn out to be caused by Rosa, their housekeeper; she subsequently resigns. To manage the situation, they resort to smoking marijuana alongside the ghost. Friends Steve and Jenny bring over a ouija board; when it spells “ghost” incorrectly as “gost,” the spirit angrily hurls it across the room, frightening them away. The ghost then drags Malcolm out of the room and engages in sexual activity with Kisha; afterward, it assaults Malcolm.

Provoking the ghost results in further aggression; it attacks Kisha while Malcolm listens to music. He contacts Father Doug for an exorcism attempt that ultimately fails. Dan and Bobby join Chip in assisting with another ritual. During this process, Kisha escapes but is found crying in the basement; when approached, she attacks Malcolm but is subdued by the group, seemingly expelling the entity.

The following night they resume sexual activity while filming with cameras running. Suddenly, Kisha awakens making loud noises and injures Malcolm by knocking him into a camera. Her shirt becomes stained with blood as she behaves erratically with a demonic visage before Malcolm regains consciousness screaming that Kisha is behind him.

Cast

Marlon Wayans portrays Malcolm Johnson
Essence Atkins plays Kisha Davis
Cedric the Entertainer appears as Father Doug Williams
Nick Swardson takes on the role of Chip the Psychic
David Koechner features as Dan "the Man" Kearney
Dave Sheridan acts as Bob "Bobby" Kearney
Marlene Forte is cast as Rosa, the housekeeper for Malcolm
Andrew Daly plays Steve, a friend of Malcolm
Alanna Ubach portrays Jenny, Steve's spouse
Affion Crockett appears as Ray-Ray, Malcolm’s cousin
Robin Thede and J.B. Smoove perform as Kisha’s mother and stepfather respectively

Box office

With a production budget of $2.5 million, A Haunted House amassed $40.4 million domestically and an additional $20.1 million internationally, culminating in a global total of $60.5 million. Its opening weekend generated $18.1 million, securing second place at the box office behind Zero Dark Thirty.

Critical response

The movie holds a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on critics’ reviews averaging 2.9 out of 10, alongside a Metacritic score of 20 out of 100. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore resulted in a "B−" grade.

Joe Leydon from Variety characterized the film as a "frenetic and freewheeling satirical comedy" that delivers humor unevenly. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter observed that the film frequently opts for crude humor over cleverness but commended the performances of Wayans and Atkins, concluding that the parody genre has largely run its course.

Awards

Nick Swardson earned a nomination for Worst Supporting Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards for his performance in this film.

Home media

The release of A Haunted House on DVD, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, and digital platforms occurred on April 23, 2013.

Sequel

Following the financial success of the original film, Wayans along with Open Road and IM Global Octane announced a sequel on April 8, 2013. Filming commenced in late August 2013. The follow-up, titled A Haunted House 2, was released on April 18, 2014.

External links