Ruby Baker’s carefree days of staying out past curfew, partying with her best friends, and just being a teenager are over. the glass house nightmare begins with the protagonist (leelee sobieski) meeting her parents, david and grace (michael o ‘keefe , rita wilson), both died in a car accident. ruby and her younger brother rhett ( trevor morgan ) are quickly taken in by family friends and former neighbors terry and erin glass ( stellan skarsgård , diane lane ), whose home is in Malibu. Obviously, a big life adjustment like this takes some time, but Ruby’s pain turns to suspicion. there’s something wrong with her new tutors.
In this 2001 thriller, the opening scenes with the entire bakers clan are wholesome and engaging; David and Grace’s last moments with their children are in bright, warm colors. but once they’re gone and the baker boys move into their foster home, the film gradually turns cold and grim. Not only does the color start to fade from the screen, so does the feeling of life. it would seem that this dramatic change in palette reflects ruby’s emotions. Actually, clinical esthetics is more of a taste of Terry and Erin’s life.
The absurdity begins early as the kids move into the appropriately designed house at the heart of this see-through mystery. That exquisite seaside estate is a far cry from the modest suburban home that Ruby and Rhett hail from. while the numerous windows integrated into the architecture add to the sleek and modern look, they also make the place feel emotionless. in this house all the sounds resonate, the shadows peek through the glass doors and the lack of opaque walls prevents any type of privacy. it is absolutely uncomfortable to live in, due to its construction and its inhabitants. the setup on the nose here does a lot of heavy lifting as far as mood building goes.
recalling some of her mother’s last words: “the simplest is the most difficult; to see what’s really right in front of you,” ruby looks to his new guardians at the first sign of trouble. This involves a long solo investigation as Ruby discovers the stories of the glasses and reveals his true intentions, little by little. the teenager, whose checkered past is already damaging her credibility, does the right thing by going first to the people whose only job is to protect her. however, her family’s trust fund attorney ( bruce dern ) and a social worker ( kathy baker ) take the disappointing side of the glasses only because the history demands it. these little defeats fuel a frustrating but satisfying game of cat and mouse between captive and captor.
leelee sobieski, whose physical stature risks undermining her character’s youth and vulnerability, brings out all the qualities of her troublesome character. the intelligent ruby has a small head start as he learns to be responsible and mature, but there is also no hint of forced precocity in his development. she’s refreshingly flawed, not to mention she’s unsure of herself and the world around her, oftentimes she seems confused or asks questions that only a real teenager would ask in such a situation. Sobieski channels her own youth and delivers an equally candid and astute performance.
Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgård has many faces as Terry, the show stealer; he can switch from fatherly to downright creepy with relative ease. As the biggest obstacle to Ruby and Rhett’s freedom, Terry is terrifying, all thanks to the actor’s skill and his ability to go with the flow. Skarsgård was fairly new to Hollywood at the time, and was the last of the three leads to be cast, so his portrayal of a villain doesn’t surprise audiences as his on-screen better half. The beloved and renowned Diane Lane plays Erin, who is arguably the most tragic character here. she resorts to strong recipes to deal with her guilt, among other emotions that plague her. Lane is underused, but she manages to expose that pathos and even elicits a hint of sympathy. she, along with her two co-stars of hers, brings to life a surprising little story.
Study meddling signs are everywhere in the wild conclusion. According to director Daniel Sackheim and screenwriter Wesley Strick, they did not insert a romantic subplot for Ruby as Columbia requested, but they did commit to the ending, regardless of its mash-up. feelings after the fact. Where The Glass House was supposed to end was later changed to include Ruby’s last minute confrontation with Terry behind the wheel of an unmanned police car. It’s far more arresting than the director and writer originally envisioned for its characters, though it satisfied Columbia’s desire for a more commercial thriller.
“Prom Nightmare,” the fictional horror flick Ruby and her valley friends see in theaters from the start, isn’t simply an amplified parody of what lies ahead for Ruby. this minute of misleading footage demonstrates what many people find truly terrifying. any slasher movie satisfies the longing for immediate and safe scares, while the glass house unexpectedly taps into the subconscious fear of loss and death. Whatever shortcomings this movie ultimately has as a mystery, it succeeds as a reminder of how unexpected and temporary life can be.
This film unfolds as a reimagining of the hansel and gretel fairy tale with a large portion of the night of the hunter. the two boys are lured into a glass castle instead of a gingerbread house, but are trapped nonetheless. the boy is supercharged with shiny new toys, while his sister is shattered, gaslit, and frustrated at every turn. This entire film surely lacks the design and unpredictability of the best-made thrillers; much of its history is as transparent as the titular location. however, fans of the glass house can agree that this inflated teen mystery has a quality of life that keeps them coming back for more.
horror looks in great detail at how young people handle messy situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. while the genre forces characters of all ages to face their fears, it is especially interested in how young people can fare in life and death scenarios.
the column young blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as well as other young people on the verge of terror.
