by I have always been a fan of Heather Langenkamp. So when I noticed she had a role in the movie, The Butterfly Room I had to rent it. I had a quick chat with her at a recent horror convention in Phoenix… So you know how it goes…. She’s now my instant BFF. Well, in my head anyways…ha!
The Butterfly Room was written and directed by Jonathan Zarantonello. His story is a creep festival of loon and the main event is Ann (actress Barbara Steele). From the start of the film Ms. Steele did a fantastic job at making me feel uncomfortable. The strangest thing is as a child I knew older women just like her character and I would have never said no to them. They were master manipulators. Well dressed, highly educated and had money. So this film added a bit of extra “creepy” to my viewing experience as I had a few of these women in my life growing up.
Ann was an older woman who lived alone. She had a neighbor named Claudia (actress Erica Leerhsen) whos daughter was a little girl named Julie (actress Ellery Sprayberry). Ann kept mainly to herself and her most obsessive hobby of collecting and drying butterflies. One day Ann finds little Julie locked out of her apartment home and invites her in and soon after becomes a continuous caretaker of Julie when her mother Claudia isn’t home. Julie reminds Ann of unhealthy relationships she’s had in her past with two other little girl’s. One in particular that Julie begins seeing in what’s called The Butterfly Room in Ann’s home.
The Butterfly Room – Final Thoughts
This movie is twisted. No other word for it. The acting was great and quite believable. Ann and Mommy Dearest were most likely best friend’s in the 60’s and exchanged some serious notes. The only complaint I had about the movie was the flashback scenes. There were no pause breaks or any type of blending to allow the viewer a second to know the scene change was occurring. If I looked for the television remote for a volume change, I might have also received two scene changes and one may have been a flashback. Unfortunately flashbacks in this film are what sets the storyline. So if you choose to watch The Butterfly Room and I recommend you give a whirl, don’t do a thing even text on your phone unless you pause this flick!
