The Disappointments Room follows a family that moves into a home with a dark past (imagine that). In the attic lies a locked room that houses a morbid secret that consequently psychologically derails the mother (Kate Beckinsale). As she falls gradually into madness, she must come to terms with the room's apparitions and her own past before she loses her sanity.
The Disappointments Room Review
Kate Beckinsale's beauty can only do so much to carry a plot, though some may fervently disagree. I am a personal fan of the first two Underworld movies, though I'd sooner call them guilty pleasures than defend them. They made me a fan of Beckinsale, I'll admit. But I soon found that the luster she carried was limited to a role in which she was packing state-of-the-art silver bullet pistols surrounded by blood-thirsty werewolves.
Frankly, it felt like she turned in a thoughtless performance, giving little to the role that a far less talented actress would deliver. Clearly there was a hope that name (and face) alone would carry this film to a minor payday. It was hardly worth the hour and a half spent watching it for "free" through a streaming service.
When the plot rolled itself out, it became clear that this film was nothing more than a ghost-fueled drama. Had it been pitched and thereby produced as such, it would have made for a better film. At least then it wouldn't be attempting to masquerade as a mainstream horror film. And despite my general lack of appreciation for the PG-13 bland mainstream pool, this film doesn't even manage to keep up with those movies, at least from a horror perspective.
The first scare is by far the best. It brought me the closest to full attention, thinking immediately that the rumors about the lackluster quality of the film may have been false. But from there it dropped off a cliff. Even the story of Beckinsale's past isn't enough to maintain interest. It simply falls flat for most of the next hour, with the dramatic "climax before the climax" coming across like a star-studded family drama coming to terms with some big discovery. It's safe to say it wasn't a very horror-centric momnt, however impactful the scene may have been.
The biggest problem of the film is most definitely the fact the movie was being portrayed outside of the wheelhouse of the script. It was a sheep trying to wear wolf's clothing. And maybe that's the biggest disappointment of all.
Horror Qualifier: 6/10
Horror Quality: 2/10
Film Quality: 3/10