The Selling (2011)

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime
Movie Name/Year: The Selling (2011)
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length:  92 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: RedWood Pictures, Diani & Devine Productions, Ludicrous Productions, GoDigital, Grand Entertainment Group, Syfy Universal, Syfy Universal
Director: Emily Lou Wilbur
Writer: Gabriel Diani
Actors: Gabriel Diani, Janet Varney, Jonathan Klein, Etta Devine, Barry Bostwick, Nancy Lenehan, Jocelyn Towne, Alina Phelan, Simon Helberg, Cole Stratton, Kitty Swink, Jessica Makinson, Kendra Chell, Matthew J Cates, Alexandra Goodman, Ross Hellwig, Phil Proctor, Melinda Peterson, Elizabeth McInerney, Trey Burnette, Tamika Simpkins
 
IMDb Blurb: A too-honest-for-his-own-good real estate agent has to sell a haunted house before its ghostly inhabitants ruin his life.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
Horror comedy is just one of those genres you don’t come across often – at least, where the outcome is any good, that is. It happens to be my favorite flavor of horror. I had a bit of a rough day yesterday so I was happy to anticipate a bit of therapeutic laughter.
 
I can’t remember where I first ran across a mention of The Selling, but I’ve been dying to watch it for a couple years now.

 
The premise reminded me a bit of The Money Pit (1986), but with the whole supernatural ghostly twist. I was sold the moment I made that nostalgic connection to one of my favorite movies of all time. I was just hoping beyond hope that the warm fuzzies of yesteryear weren’t setting me up for disappointment with The Selling. All too often a trailer will lead you astray like that. In this case, I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed.
 
Let’s revisit the trailer for a moment, though, before I continue.
 
Don’t watch the whole trailer if you don’t want to be spoiled on a twist. I’d completely forgotten about that part of the preview so I was successfully surprised by the little extra thrown in that takes things beyond just a haunted house. I appreciated that addition to the story that tied things together, and it’s a good bit of what drives the comedy in the final act of the film. For that reason, I see why they added those elements into the sneak peek – but why spoil the surprise!

In order to avoid the spoilers, stop watching the trailer at the 1:18 mark. Once you hit 1:20, you’re bordering the spoiler zone. Just look for Barry Bostwick (The Potwins, The Outlaw Johnny Black, Single All the Way). When he exits the screen, it’s safe to hit the stop button.
 
Speaking of Barry Bostwick, I had a giggle that he was involved with this project and was one of the initial draws for me to The Selling. Once I learned more overall info about the movie, I had to watch it.
 
The Selling is a lot of campy and silly fun. It walks that line and stops just short of making you want to roll your eyes. I loved the characters. I could seriously relate with Gabriel Diani’s (I Am I, Research., Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse) real estate agent, Richard. I am often told that I am too nice for my own good. It was easy to put myself in his shoes, for the most part.

 
I’m actually rather shocked that there isn’t more out there from Diani, though I couldn’t begin to speculate as to why. This is the only project of his that I’ve seen to date. I hope to check out his other stuff soon.
 
The Selling is definitely a hidden gem among the titles available on Amazon Prime Video. Catch this one before it moves on to the great beyond.

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 83%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.1/10
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – PG-13
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
PS – There are 3 additional scenes within the end credits.
 
Movie Trailer: