Funeral Home

Funeral Home is a sleeper that should be more of a hit. I'd never heard of it when I put it in to watch it but found it quite good despite its obscurity. Some claim it's an original story, some claim it bears too much resemblance to one or two particular others. Either way it's an entertaining story of mystery and suspense.

At the center is a one-time funeral home that is now being turned into a bed and breakfast by the wife of the mortician who mysteriously vanished into thin air some years before. Heather, the granddaughter of the couple that owns the place, comes to town to help her grandmother get the new establishment get off the ground. It seems that disappearances are disturbingly common around this area, and when guests of the new establishment start turning up missing Heather can't help but be curious because of the mystery surrounding her grandfather's fate. That's going to get her into a world of trouble.

There are so many things that are done right in this movie. For starters is a good basic story. The mysteries are intriguing and revealed in a gripping fashion. The acting is surprisingly good at least from the main stars. There are some people and moments that falter, but the virtually unknown headliner, Lesleh Donaldson, does a solid job with her role. I didn't like the grandmother all that much at first, but her odd acting actually turns out to be part of the plot rather than a weakness on the part of the actor. In the end I thought she did quite a good job.

There's more than good actors, though, the characters are often well written and not just focused on Heather's family. There's an excellent subplot involving the struggle of a young police officer who is trying to overcome the locals seeing him as a hometown youngster and become an effective officer worthy of respect. He has taken notice of the disappearances and attempts to investigate, but nobody will take him seriously. I enjoyed watching his character develop and thought his plight added a layer to the story that helped keep it interesting.

Another great layer is Heather hearing conflicting stories about who her grandfather was before he disappeared and having to decide what is truth and what is unfounded rumor. This plays well into the mystery of her grandfather's fate.

MORALITY:

I really don't think this movie deserves it's R rating. It has some violent and gruesome moments, but they are pretty tame by current standards. Maybe it's the just the good job the movie does at creating the dark atmosphere and the fright it stirs up despite not being graphic. The fact that the director didn't feel he needed to get the lovely Lesleh naked in order to keep viewers interested speaks to the strength of the other elements.

There is some sexuality such as a woman in a bathing suit asking a man if he wants to touch her body and make love to her, but we don’t see anything beyond the suggestion. There's a dark scene of a couple getting physical but both are clearly fully clothed. There little if any other sexuality and no nudity.

There is very little strong language that I noticed.

SPIRITUALITY:

As I said, Heather hears a lot of conflicting gossip about her grandfather. She (along with the viewing audience) doesn't know what to believe and wants to think the best of him.

Which of the stories are true? I won't say, but it does illustrate the power of words. With an unfounded rumor we can call into question the reputation of someone far too easily. With incorrect or incomplete information we could easily damage the reputation of an innocent person.

People should stop and think about what they say about others. The Bible is quite clear that God does not approve of telling falsehoods about our neighbor. He requires us to show love and integrity which spreading rumors does not do.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If I ever find a DVD release with better better quality than what's currently available I might actually buy the movie a second time. It lacks the flash and polish of a high-budget film, but if you want a good, dark, mysterious thriller then this is worth checking out.

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