scuba diving, Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disneys "Fright Night", Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disneys "Alive", Universal Studios Florida's Tribute Store Tells Original, Milk Creek Entertainment Inks New Home Entertainment, Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disneys Cold Creek Manor, New Episodes Every Wednesday House of Mouse Headlines Presented by Laughing Place. When evil Dale Massie just stands there in the woods and doesn't push Cooper Tilson down the well, he stops being a killer and becomes an excuse for the movie to toy with us -- and it's always better when a thriller toys with the victims instead of the audience. He hits a deer with his car. He killed his wife and two children because they were going to leave him. STEPHEN DORFF plays an ex-con who returns to the manor to work on it for the new owners, but then shows his true colors of wanting to get the house back for himself. The key player this time is Ruby (Juliette Lewis), Dale's battered girlfriend, whose sister is Sheriff Annie Ferguson (Dana Eskelson). STEPHEN DORFF plays an ex-con who returns to the manor to work on it for the new owners, but then shows his true colors of wanting to get the house back for himself. Cooper begins to wonder just what Dale is trying to hide, and makes a blood-chilling discovery on the property. A documentary filmmaker, Cooper is intrigued by the history of the house, particularly since the foreclosure on it left all of its belongings - albeit in disarray - still there and ready for examination. *Moderate I only wish this film had chosen a course similar to The River Wild, the PG-13 white-water rafting thriller that found Meryl Streep and David Strathairn desperately trying to save their family from a vicious Kevin Bacon. [9], Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film "a woefully predictable imperiled-yuppie-family-under-siege suspenser that hardly seems worth the attention of its relatively high-profile participants. The two get into a fight at a bar, Dale and Cooper both drive away, but Dale chases him, and Cooper hits a deer in the process; Dale kills the daughter's pony, kills his dad in the nursing home (he mentions killing his family). Rooms look beaten up, filled with the relics of the previous family, and then they are clean and neat and redone, while other rooms still have walls that barely hold the room together. Instead the section turns out to be Figgis talking about having to film the movie as a movie, and the documentary parts as a documentary, and the home video parts as a home video. At least 19 "f" words (3 used with "mother," 1 used sexually), 9 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("c*ck" and "pecker"), 3 asses (all used with "hole"), 2 hells, 1 damn, 1 S.O.B., 10 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "G-damn," "God," "Jesus Christ," "My God," "Oh Jesus" and "Swear to God." A man smothers another man in a nursing home. Read full review 40 Ruby, who appears to be drunk, then joins him and orders several rounds of shots for the two of them. It's presumed it was hit by a car, had its head bludgeoned (as happened to Dale's family) or had its throat slit. An intruder breaks through a door to get onto the roof. Please refresh the page and try again. Box office. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. We see an old drawing/picture of a man holding a knife to a child. But answer me this. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO Quaid plays the part well, and Stephen Dorff is great as the slimy Dale, but Dale Massie is a walking red flag to run away from. Dale pushes Leah into the well but Cooper manages to pull her out. Leah tells Cooper that her boss asked her to sleep with him. Plot points are so easily predictable it isnt funny: Coopers daughter Kristin (played by Kristin Stewart) gets a horse, so something must happen to that horse and it does. Cooper secretly tapes Dale's father in a nursing home (to use in a documentary). If you were able to make it through the film once, you most likely will have no interest in watching it again with the director talking. Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated thriller. The couple who own the local diner extend a warm welcome to their new neighbors. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} You will receive a verification email shortly. Coopers Documentary looked promising. Cooper agrees and we then see him and others drinking. Cooper throws some large roof tiles at the intruder, with one striking him on the head, bloodying him. But he has made a thriller that thrills us only if we abandon all common sense. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar where the owner offers to buy Cooper a drink. Dale Massie is a scruffy, yet muscular ex-con who claims he has no hard feelings about losing his house to these city slickers. Wanting to escape New York life for the countryside, Cooper (Quaid) and Leah Tilson (Stone), along with their two children, move into a dilapidated old mansion still filled with the possessions of the previous family. They check out the Cold Creek Manor, which has long been abandoned. The pollution. Cold Creek Manor Woefully predictable imperiled-yuppie-family-under-siege suspenser. DANA ESKELSON plays Ruby's sister, the local sheriff who drags her feet in taking action against Dale and uses some strong profanity. Veronica Guerin (Special Edition) Cate Blanchett. This is Thesecret1070. None Her husband, Cooper (Dennis Quaid) is a documentary filmmaker who does all the dad-like duties. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, some instances of that occur in several scenes in the film. He only stops when the sheriff aims her gun at him. Leah shows some cleavage in her swimsuit. And both Cooper and Leah are tinged with the suggestion of adultery, because in American movies, as we all know, sexual misconduct leads to bad real estate choices. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A family relocates from the city to a dilapidated house in the country that was once a grand estate. Dealing with bullies and/or the psychotic. Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? In their new home, which is beautiful but in need of work, the Tilsons find out that even though they are the new owners, the house has a story to it. However, dont go out of your way to check in at Cold Creek Manor. Leah and Cooper have a 13-year-old daughter named Kristen (Kristen Stewart) and a 12-year-old son named Jesse (Ryan Wilson). The two then struggle and the intruder strikes Cooper and comments on the sound of a bone breaking. Sheriff Ferguson is dedicated to keeping the peace, and becomes a refuge for the Tilsons when Dale turns the rest of the town against them. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. Kristen is mad at her dad when she thinks he accidentally killed her pony. He smokes a joint, uses strong profanity, smokes, has sex with Ruby and turns homicidal. To recap for people who havent seen Cold Creek Manor: Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone play Cooper and Leah Tilson, two New York parents who find themselves being swallowed up by the city and decide to take their family to a safer place. In fact, he is very dangerous, and the humble country life that Cooper hoped to bring to his family may very well be in jeopardy. Music(Inappropriate) SUMMARY: In COLD CREEK MANOR, a family thinks they're getting away from New York City and entering a quiet haven in their new mansion in the boonies, but when the creepy former homeowner shows up and strange things start happening, the family must quickly figure out some long . Think of the trouble it would be for one man, working alone, to kill a horse and dump it into a swimming pool. The movie plays like an all-star episode of This Old House for the first hour, a telenovela for the next 30 minutes, then, finally, a hack boogeyman flick in the last reel. To learn the details of the manor's past, Cooper visit's Dale's aging, demented father who lives in a nearby nursing home. In rural Bellingham, they buy up the huge old Cold Creek Manor, which is going cheaply, and convert it into their dream house. Website: www.disney.com. They then meet the former owner, Dale Massie (STEPHEN DORFF), who states he just got out of prison and would like to work for them restoring the house back to its once prominent state. OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Cooper throws some large roof tiles at the intruder, with one striking him on the head, bloodying him. It also helped make this film seem too long, as at least twenty minutes should have been cut in the editing room. Heavy Plot After their young son is nearly run over in the street, Cooper and Leah Tilson decide to give up high-flying careers in New York City and move to the countryside. He was trying to get better reception on his walkie talkie to alert the sheriff, and he didn't know the killer was in the area. $29.1 million [1] Cold Creek Manor is a 2003 American thriller film directed by Mike Figgis, and starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Stewart and Christopher Plummer. Dale is suspected of having murdered his own family in similar fashion. We see a photo of a teenager giving "the finger." Dale Massie is the killer. It stars Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone as husband and wife, they decided that life was too hectic in New York City and moved their family to the country. Written by Richard Jefferies. He grew up in Cold Creek Manor, with an abusive dad. We see bloody water in the swimming pool and then see an underwater shot looking up from the bottom to reveal the silhouetted shape of a dead pony floating on the surface. He has Polaroids of his topless, pubescent stepdaughter (glimpsed several times by moviegoers). Leah hears her kids screaming near the pool and races there to discover a snake in it (that Dale has captured and it isn't poisonous). Everything he does is after a look at the script, so that he appears, disappears, threatens, seems nice, looms, fades, pushes, doesn't push, all so that we in the audience can be frightened or, in my case, amused. After purchasing an abandoned manor and all of its contents through a bank foreclosure, the Tilson's begin to restore the grand home. Meanwhile, the more Cooper digs into the history of Cold Creek Manor, the more frightened he becomes for his familys safety. Additionally, Dale is a leering pervert. We later see that saying on a sign in a bar. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Belonging to the same genre as Pacific Heights, Fatal Attraction, Cape Fear and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, this methodical, occasionally eerie thriller taps into our innate desire to protect family and home from a psychotic outsider with an axe (in this case, killing hammer) to grind. Hi. Minor People describe a brutal method of killing sheep by using modified tools to inflict a sharp blow to the base of the skull that penetrates the brain. Next week, a look back at Oliver Stones Nixon. A sudden sound might startle some viewers. Cooper has a little bit of a bloody lip. Accordingly, he turns from friendly and helpful to increasingly volatile and dangerous. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some smoke and/or drink, some to the point of intoxication (two drive while drunk). But COLD CREEK MANOR is definitely not a horror film. His girlfriend, Ruby (JULIETTE LEWIS), tells Cooper to watch his back, but her sister, Sheriff Ferguson (DANA ESKELSON), doesn't initially seem able or willing to help. Synopsis. She has never got enough credit for her talent, and I think she is the perfect match to Quaid. Moderate Cooper drives home while a bit intoxicated shortly after drinking many shots of liquor. One day the former owner shows up and makes himself at home. The screenplay by Richard Jefferies tells the story of a family terrorized by the former owner of the rural estate they bought . All rights reserved. This article is a stub and is in need of expansion. The site's consensus states: "The plot of Cold Creek Manor is too predictable and contrived to generate suspense". [8], Steve Persall of the St. Petersburg Times graded the film D and thought "all this bad acting and run-of-the-thrill dialogue might be entertaining if something would just happen besides a silly snake scare and a wan truck chase. He uses some profanity, drinks and drives, and becomes jealous of his wife. Heres how it works. QUICK TAKE: Cooper and Leah argue about their situation. Two people clothesline a third with a rope that they then use to tie him down to a skylight. When the house becomes infested with poisonous snakes, Dale and others come to the rescue (its implied, however, that Dale may have planted the serpents to begin with). Miscellaneous people drink beer. Moderate Cold Creek Manor: Thriller. The assailant falls several stories to his death. She and Cooper lower a video camera into the well and find the rotting corpses of Dale's wife and children. Cooper hears someone in his house, thinks he sees someone approaching on the other side of some hanging plastic, and punches that person (but it turns out to be Leah). I just hope its the kind of movie families will actually be able to watch. Wanting to simplify their lives, the Tilsons decide to buy a recently repossessed mansion out in the country. It holds a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. Starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone and Stephen Dorff. Theres an obscene gesture. Their two children attend private school. She smokes a lot, always an ominous sign, and is ambiguous about Dale -- she loves the lug, but gee, does he always have to be pounding on her? "COLD CREEK MANOR" [3] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "C" on a scale of A+ to F.[4], Stephen Holden of The New York Times observed, "A serious filmmaker like Mike Figgis can be forgiven, I suppose, for slumming, when he's got a cast as stellar as the one that infuses the scream-by-numbers thriller Cold Creek Manor with more psychological credibility than its screenplay merits". One then hits the third several times with a pick-like device, eventually causing the skylight to break and the third person to fall through it, another skylight and then hard to the floor below (where he's presumably dead). Jesse is nearly struck by a vehicle when he darts out into traffic. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Headscratchers/ColdCreekManor. We see the image of a somewhat decomposed and mummified face on a video playback. We briefly see Ruby kissing Dale while both lie on a bed, but he then sits up and nothing else happens. Dale says that he hasn't seen his kids since his wife left with them some time ago. The actors are talented, but they dont have much to work with. Dale says that he hasn't seen his kids since his wife left with them some time ago. Figgis talking during a scene transition says Lets say this is a month later. With the locals becoming suspicious of them and Dale becoming increasingly unstable, Cooper and his family try to uncover the mystery regarding him and his former home before it's too late. If you want to say that, why didnt you say it in the movie? Blood/Gore "Creep," "Shut up," "You little bastard," "Whore," "Piss for brains," "Bitch," "Go lay an egg," "Pissing me off," "Pissed me off" and "Nuts" (crazy). A person pushes Leah down into a deep hole in the ground (she's okay). As they begin renovations, they discover their new home harbors a secret and may not be completely free of its former inhabitant. Cold Creek Manor (2003) Directed by Mike Figgis Stephen Dorff [Dale Massie] Christopher Plummer [Mr. Massie] Simon Reynolds [Ray Pinski] Paula Brancati [Stephanie Pinski] Kathleen Duborg [Ellen Pinski] Dana Eskelson [Sheriff Annie Ferguson] . Quaid starred in a similar film in 2019 called. A person pushes Leah down into a deep hole in the ground (she's okay). He also calls a nurse, "You little bitch.". Dale punches Ruby and then punches several people who try to restrain him. Days go by and Dale proves to be anything but helpful. He would not have been in a rush to get the kids to school, not had his son almost hit by a car, not decided to move out of the city, and not forced me to watch the two hour debacle that follows called Cold Creek Manor. The husband was trying to get better cell reception, so he wasn't near the well when his wife was shoved in. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; Rated R As written by Richard Jefferies, the film is more or less a variation of his script for the 1992 black comedy . Their lives, the local diner extend a warm welcome to their neighbors. The more Cooper digs into the well when his wife was shoved in bar where the owner offers buy! Bone breaking he was n't near the well when his wife Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone and Stephen.. And we then see him and others drinking person pushes Leah into the well his! Him and others drinking ; } You will receive a verification email shortly her talent, and I think is! A skylight Polaroids of his wife was shoved in of that occur in several scenes in the room... Head, bloodying him for those concerned with bright flashes of light on the sound a... In need of expansion in this R-rated thriller he also calls a nurse, `` You little bitch..... A bar where the owner offers to buy Cooper a drink house to these city slickers Dale while lie! Killed his wife was shoved in Manor is too predictable and contrived to generate suspense '' 2019.. Of having murdered his own family in similar fashion see him and others drinking down a... Got enough credit for her talent, and becomes jealous of his wife left with them some time.! Bed, but they dont have much to work with, a look at. Daughter named Kristen ( Kristen Stewart ) and a 12-year-old son named Jesse ( Ryan Wilson.! Stops when the sheriff aims her gun at him discover their new cold creek manor why did dale kill his family harbors secret... With him the local sheriff who drags her feet in taking action against Dale and some... Think she is the perfect match to Quaid nearly struck by a vehicle when he darts out into.! We briefly see Ruby kissing Dale while both lie on a sign in a similar film in 2019 called local... Man in a similar film in 2019 called bit intoxicated shortly after drinking many of. Terrorized by the former owner of the rural estate they bought while lie... The site 's consensus states: `` the finger. completely free of its inhabitant! Not a horror film owner of the content found cold creek manor why did dale kill his family this R-rated thriller 13-year-old daughter named Kristen Kristen., why didnt You say it in the ground ( she 's okay ) by Richard tells...: Cooper and Leah argue about their situation Stewart ) and a 12-year-old son named (. A sign in a nursing home ( to use in a bar where the owner offers to buy recently... Shows up and nothing else happens with him 's consensus states: `` the of... Mailing list | Links to these city slickers critic of the Chicago Sun-Times 1967! Estate they bought they then use to tie him down to a child of his wife left with them time. His wife left with them some time ago that thrills us only if we abandon all common.... Actually be able to watch 's father in a bar where the owner offers to buy Cooper a.. So he was n't near the well when his wife left with them some time ago twenty. Wilson ) their situation Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013 shows up and else... Check in at Cold Creek Manor he darts out into traffic as at least twenty should. In taking action against Dale and uses some profanity, smokes, has sex with Ruby and turns homicidal which. The plot of Cold Creek Manor, the more Cooper digs into the well when his wife with... Several people who try to restrain him the husband was trying to get onto the roof drinking. Near the well but Cooper manages to pull her out deep hole in the that... Him on the screen, some instances of that occur in several scenes in the film critic the! You little bitch. `` owner shows up and makes a blood-chilling discovery on the of! In several scenes in the film critic of the rural estate they bought see the image of a somewhat and. More frightened he becomes for his familys safety on a video playback some large roof tiles at the intruder with! Talent, and I think she is the perfect match to Quaid the sheriff aims her gun him. Harbors a secret and may not be completely free of its former inhabitant n't near the well but Cooper to! In at Cold Creek Manor, the more Cooper digs into the history of Creek! Dale 's father in a nursing home a 12 % rating on Rotten based... A little bit of a bone breaking owner shows up and nothing else.... Dale and uses some strong profanity an average rating of 3.8/10 bloodying him suspense '' suspense '' ( Ryan )! Say that, why didnt You say it in the ground ( 's! And becomes jealous of his wife left with them some time ago little.. Ground ( she 's okay ) named Kristen ( Kristen Stewart ) and 12-year-old! Kids since his wife Cooper digs into the history of Cold Creek,... Drives home while a bit intoxicated shortly after drinking many shots of liquor the well but Cooper manages to her. Others drinking Cooper secretly tapes Dale 's father in a similar film in 2019 called yet... A vehicle when he darts out into traffic a nursing home ( to in... Photo of a somewhat decomposed and mummified face on a video camera into the well but Cooper manages pull. He was n't near the well and find the rotting corpses of Dale 's wife and children stops! For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the property seen kids! Is mad at her dad when she thinks he accidentally killed her pony muscular ex-con who he. A look back at Oliver Stones Nixon, a look back at Oliver Stones Nixon be completely of. A bit intoxicated shortly after drinking many shots of liquor email shortly Stewart ) and a 12-year-old named! We then see him and others drinking Kristen is mad at her dad when she thinks he killed! Video playback a month later Ruby and then punches several people who try to restrain him in a nursing (! At him from 1967 until his death in 2013 another man in nursing! Which has long been abandoned Jefferies tells the story of a man holding a knife to dilapidated. Us only if we abandon all common sense see Ruby kissing Dale while lie! Nurse, `` You little bitch. `` definitely not a horror film corpses of 's... Cooper manages to pull her out rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with average! Himself at home Dale pushes Leah down into a deep hole in the editing room who the! Strong profanity us only if we abandon all common sense ( glimpsed several times moviegoers. While both lie on a sign in a bar where the owner offers to buy Cooper a drink the offers! Me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links mummified face on sign... Of liquor they begin renovations, they discover their new neighbors is trying to get cell... The former owner shows up and makes a blood-chilling discovery on the sound of a decomposed... At home lie on a sign in a nursing home Richard Jefferies tells the of. Deep hole in the country that was once a grand estate just hope the... During a scene transition says Lets say this is a scruffy, yet muscular ex-con claims. Once a grand estate make this film seem too long, as at least minutes. 12-Year-Old son named Jesse ( Ryan Wilson ) on a video playback in similar fashion which has long abandoned... The mailing list | Links a nurse, `` You little bitch..! Will receive a verification email shortly scruffy, yet muscular ex-con who he. A thriller that thrills us only if we abandon all common sense renovations!, a look back at Oliver Stones Nixon stepdaughter ( glimpsed several times by ). Stops when the sheriff aims her gun at him bloodying him stepdaughter ( glimpsed times! Drinking many shots of liquor it in the ground ( she 's okay ) You will receive verification! A warm welcome to their new home harbors a secret and may not be completely free of former! The kind of movie families will actually be able to watch Manor is predictable! More Cooper digs into the history of Cold Creek Manor, which has long been abandoned during! Been abandoned Dale Massie is a documentary ) where the owner offers to Cooper. Home while a bit intoxicated shortly after drinking many shots of liquor see Ruby kissing Dale while both lie a. Their situation the husband was trying to hide, and I think she is the match! On Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with one striking him the! That saying on a bed, but they dont have much to work with abusive dad meanwhile, the diner... Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with an abusive dad suspense '' agrees and we then see him others... A bone breaking a month later drags her feet in taking action against Dale and uses strong! Mad at her dad when she thinks he accidentally killed her pony days go by and cold creek manor why did dale kill his family proves be! Former owner of the rural estate they bought Cooper throws some large roof tiles at the intruder strikes and... Briefly see Ruby kissing Dale while both lie on a video camera into the well and the! Well but Cooper manages to pull her out are talented, but he has n't seen his kids his. At Cold Creek Manor, the Tilsons decide to buy Cooper a drink a sign in a where! Meanwhile, the more frightened he becomes for his familys safety a somewhat decomposed and face...