Spooky House
Spooky House is a 2002 American family film directed, co-produced and co-written by William Sachs, and starring Ben Kingsley and Mercedes Ruehl. It was entered into the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, winning two awards, "Best Of Fest" and the "Children's Jury Award".[1]
Spooky House | |
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Film Poster | |
Directed by | William Sachs |
Produced by | William Sachs |
Written by | Margaret Sachs & William Sachs |
Starring | Ben Kingsley Mercedes Ruehl Matt Weinberg |
Music by | Garry Schyman |
Cinematography | Thomas Burstyn |
Edited by | Jeremy Presner |
Production company | Spooky House Entertainment LLC |
Distributed by | Anderson Digital ECG Worldwide Entertainment Entertainment Highway Phoenicia Pictures R.S. Entertainment Studio Works Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Cast
- Ben Kingsley as The Great Zamboni
- Mercedes Ruehl as Boss
- Matt Weinberg as Max
- Jason Fuchs as Yuri
- Ronald Joshua Scott as Beans
- Simon R. Baker as Prescott
- Chaz Monet as Zoe
Production
William Sachs co-wrote the screenplay together with his wife Margaret Sachs. The film was shot in Vancouver,[2] and was released in 35 American theatres in 2004, becoming the top grossing film during that time in some of them.[3]
Reception
According to Nicole Dreiske, Founder/Executive Director of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, it was the first time in the festival's 17 year history that the children's jury unanimously picked a winner when Spooky House won.[4]
Quotes
The kids whooped, hollered, cheered, and applauded during the movie. They held hands like one unit, swung together and danced in the aisles. I haven't seen anything like it in the seventeen years of the festival. All the kids came out asking when they could see the picture again…The kids' jury score was the highest in the seventeen years of the festival. It was a unanimous vote... The darling of the festival, the favorite of the festival, the hit of the festival…It's the most commercial movie we've ever had in the festival! (...) Spooky House was a resounding success with children of all ages. Kids walked out of the screening asking where they can get copies of the videocassette to see over and over again. It's a tremendous crowd pleaser.
Spooky House is incredibly likable, a consistently delightful Halloween treat that'll make kids smile and maybe even get a few grins out of the grown-ups as well. It's sweet, magical fluff.
See also
References
- "IMDB.com: Awards for Spooky House". imdb.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- "Variety: Review of Spooky House". Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- "Hidden-Films.com - Article about Sachs' Life and works". Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- "VFTLA.org: Resume of William Sachs (PDF)" (PDF). Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- "eFilmCritic.com: Review of Spooky House". Retrieved May 19, 2016.