DVD review (region 2)
Directed by Brett Sullivan
Starring Alanna Chisholm, Lauren Roy, Nick Abraham, Paul Soren
Release date 25 August 2008

Danielle (Chisholm) is recovering from depression, and moves into an old house in an attempt to rebuild her life and concentrate on her thesis. However, there seems to be an eerie presence lurking. In a bid to prove her sanity to her sister, Danielle starts to record her findings and delves further into the horrific history of the house - only to become possessed by a spirit who manipulates her into rebuilding his ‘Panic Chair’…

The Chair kicks off in powerful fashion, with an overload of grainy footage, ominous music and quick cutting creating a palatable sense of tension. The quote from Houdini even adds an implied legitimacy to what’s about to happen.

Unfortunately, once the narrative shifts to the present day, director Brett Sullivan is never quite able to redeliver that sense of tension. This is mostly due to the fact that the characters, especially Danielle, never seem to show any fear. Even though this pretty young girl, who's spending her first night alone in a new house, hears creaking floorboards and finds things amiss, she never once seems frightened or thinks to turn a light on!

The chair itself doesn’t play as big a part as you might expect from the title, and the reason for the existence of the spirit makes little sense. Still, it’s sharply edited and very polished for a low-budget indie, making it worth a watch for undemanding horror fans. Andrew Phillimore

VERDICT: 6/10
It’s hard to be scared when the characters aren’t, but Brett Sullivan definitely has potential.