The Glass House (2001)

Sometimes, I take pleasure in the fact that the daughters enjoy scary movies. Unfortunately, as they get older, I do have to pay more attention to what type of flick I select, with content and rating overriding the scare factor. One such movie we enjoyed over the weekend was a solid family friendly entry: 2001s The Glass House.

Plot/ An orphaned teenager is taken in by a Malibu couple but discovers they are not the caring friends they seemed to be.

I went into this with almost no expectations and only put on because the daughters wanted to watch something. Fortunately, what I found was better than I could have expected. While it is not a perfect film and is rather predictable, the atmosphere and characters do actually set it apart from many of the other PG-13 entries that sit in the genre. The story was interesting and believable, the performances solid, and the scripting created a realism that was easily imagined. Yes, there were some plot holes and it did have some predictable moments, but those issues are rather small (especially for a family friendly thriller). In the end, this will not be for the hardcore thriller fan, but it is better than many in the genre and perfect for a wintery afternoon with the kids. Give it a shot.