How silly can one granny be? Opening up her house to clearly-dodgy live-in carer Rebecca, the naïve old dear then lets her new companion sign her up to an off-brand Air B&B website, renting out the spare bedroom to weary travellers. One need take only one look at those crazy eyes to know that Rebecca Torrance (oh dear) is more than just the hospitable type, bearing sinister intentions, not only towards their new house guests but also maybe even granny herself. But is all as it seems? Clearly not – there aren’t even any grandchildren in this movie named At Granny’s House.
Les Mahoney’s feature film debut clearly fancies itself as a Hitchcockian thriller, with shades of Brian De Palma’s eroticism and sexual drive. And as Granny’s carer and house guests begin to wear out their welcome, one is put in mind of Aronofsky’s Mother! too. Intentions are as far as the comparisons to the classics go though – this is as low-budget as Indie cinema comes, and its grubby sex scenes and po-faced drama bear more in common with The Room than Hitchcock or De Palma. It’s only the lack of a Tommy Wiseau behind the camera that keeps it from full-on unintentional comedy.
Writer and director Mahoney casts himself as Rebecca’s grotty boyfriend, but it’s minor straight-to-DVD celebrity Bill Oberst Jr. who steals the show, playing creepy detective Boarstag. Sadly, he barely gets to be in it much either, and is but a brief relief from the terrible trio Mahoney was so convinced could carry a movie by themselves.
Thankfully, there are enough twists and turns to the story that it largely manages to sustain itself through its minimal runtime. Hitchcock, De Palma, Aronofsky and Wiseau it may not be, but its wry sense of humour and quiet absurdism will win you over by the end. In spite of the overt cheapness and Lifestyle level story, it has a handle on its tone and style, and a commitment to itself that one can’t help but admire.
AT GRANNY’S HOUSE / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: LES MAHONEY / STARRING: RACHEL ALIG, GLENDA MORGAN, LAURA LEE, LES MAHONEY, BROWN, BILL OBERST JR. / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
