When down on her luck Jane Dormant learns about the death of her Aunt Alexandra she expects a life-saving inheritance but finds herself battling bloodthirsty Zombies instead, fighting for her life.
Jane (Mhairi Calvey) is down on her luck, she recently got fired from her job and is living out of her car. Once her aunt dies, she must travel to Hobbes House and meet up with her sister, Jennifer (Makenna Guyler), and her boyfriend, Nigel (Kevin Leslie), for the will reading. Only there do they realize that Hobbes House is not what it seems and they are attacked by guardians (aka zombies) for disturbing the property.
I found “The Curse of Hobbes House” to be fairly familiar. Jane and Jennifer do not get along and are quick to fight. Jennifer’s boyfriend, Nigel, is a douchebag, who only holds his interests at heart. It is nice though that they do not drag out this squabbling for two long before the zombies pop up and start wreaking their havoc.
It turns out that Hobbes House has an ancient curse bestowed upon it that only a select few people know about. The curse itself is told through narration with striking illustrations at the beginning of the film. But once you see this curse in action, it falls flat. The zombies are a bit different from normal, they are not slow and have glowing eyes. However, these guardians fail to inspire fear. While they are not slow zombies, they are still pretty easy to out-run and are not very decomposed.
I didn’t find any of the performances memorable, but I did like Jane and Naser (Waleed Elgadi). Due to the rough times she had, Jane is the easiest to anger and most guarded out of the group. She’s quick to glare or throw insults, but is pretty adept and at taking care of herself. Naser is the groundskeeper of the property and knows about the curse. He is likable and knowledgeable, but the other characters are suspicious of him and think he may have killed their aunt. Jennifer also became likable towards the third act of the film. She is an influencer, so she seems pretty shallow at first, especially since her boyfriend is a dick too, but she has a kind heart. I would say that despite the film having no big-name actors, everyone filled their role well, even if their characters were fairly one-note.
Overall, despite some inventiveness with its zombie iterations, this story is clichéd and predictable. The character deaths are not shocking or surprising and fail to stir the viewer’s emotions, but I was glad that the sisters were able to overcome their differences by the end. If you are a zombie fan, you may find some merit in “The Curse of Hobbes House.” Otherwise, the film is nothing really new. I found it to be pretty forgettable, but it is a breezy movie that you can turn your brain off to.
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