A mysterious and wealthy stranger offers BFFs, Angie (Annie Watkins) and Izzy (Jamie Jirak), the gig of their dreams in this low-budget supernatural stoner comedy. They can order whatever they want with his platinum credit card and spend the night chilling on the couch. All seems well, except for the bizarre pentagram painted on the floor. But they surprisingly don’t think much of it.
Chalking the sigil up to a random hobby, they go upstairs and continue with their low-key evening as planned. They reap the benefits of Izzy’s day job as a pot dealer and get high while watching weird old-school porn. Soon enough, the ladies have company. Some are welcomed, while others are not.
“A toothy puppet monster strikes when his victims are the most vulnerable – in the bathroom…”
Izzy’s boyfriend brings along Angie’s crush and the pizza delivery guy ends up being a client, so the house starts filling up. That’s when the horror and hijinks ensue. A toothy puppet monster strikes when his victims are the most vulnerable – in the bathroom. It is more silly than it is scary, just as it is supposed to be. Don’t expect any visceral gore. This film is more about the bloody aftermath of the attacks, the mysterious supernatural entity haunting the house and the relationship between friends.
Housesitters is super low budget and has a student-film feel to it. The acting is bland, but the seemingly improvised moments show the cast is having fun. They do earn kudos for the clever narrative twist. The source behind the chompy creature is revealed, all is explained and the characters find themselves in an interesting predicament. All of which leads to an unexpected ending.
Housesitters (2018) Directed by Jason Coffman. Written by Jason Coffman, Jamie Jirak, and Annie Watkins. Starring Jamie Jirak, Annie Watkins, Peter Ash, Jay J. Bidwell, Bethanie Louise, Ben Schlotfelt, and James Timothy Peters.
2 out of 10 stars
