Purgatory House (2004)

80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(834 ratings)

Neophyte director/producer Cindy Baer helms the quirky goth afterlife drama Purgatory House, written by the prodigious 14-year-old scenarist Celeste Davis (who also stars). Davis plays Silver Strand, a backward teen who, disgusted with her status as a social pariah and unfulfilled goth hopeful,… More Neophyte director/producer Cindy Baer helms the quirky goth afterlife drama Purgatory House, written by the prodigious 14-year-old scenarist Celeste Davis (who also stars). Davis plays Silver Strand, a backward teen who, disgusted with her status as a social pariah and unfulfilled goth hopeful, decides to off herself. She winds up in a purgatory realm that resembles a sketchy juvenile-delinquency home, watched over by Saint James, a caretaker perpetually dressed in a white suit (and played by Tom Hanks' younger brother, Jim Hanks). Once there, Silver must watch the activities of her Earthbound friends on the "Earth TV" network, and is forced to wear the same clothes and makeup over and over again. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Cindy Baer
Written By: Celeste Davis
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 20, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Jan 16, 2007

Critic Reviews

MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
[O]ne of the most honest, most powerful, most revealing teen movies ever...
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
The names of Cindy Baer and Celeste Davis belong on the V.I.P. list of promising new filmmakers
Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com
There's a lack of polish and, more importantly, an uninhibited demeanor to Davis's script which work well for the subject matter
Eric Campos, Film Threat
A charming, touching, clever and all-around brilliantly crafted film about teen suicide.
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders
Natural Born Killers with heart.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A fairly compelling movie, but when one realizes that the screenplay was penned by a 14-year-old gal...it adds a whole new perspective to all the angst being tossed around.

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

I don't really know what to say about it. It deals with a very deep, emotional subject. I say with being written by a 14 year old it really is quite powerful and eye opening. I give it a thumbs up even though it's not the cream of the crop.
Professor W

Summary: A film about a teen girl who commits suicide and ends up living in purgatory. The Good: This film is very ambitious, and pretty good being that it was written by a 14 year old. It is definitely not your average same old boring movie, it breaks the mold and is… More
Summary: A film about a teen girl who commits suicide and ends up living in purgatory. The Good: This film is very ambitious, and pretty good being that it was written by a 14 year old. It is definitely not your average same old boring movie, it breaks the mold and is surprisingly original. For being very low budget the acting is decent (with exceptions), story is solid, and though the soundtrack is completely just popular songs performed by unknown cover-bands, it still sounds good. The Bad: I didn't really like the visual style of the film. I think it probably would have been better if I streamed in HD but I do think it was better than having no visual style at all. Ratings: Acting: 6/10 Story: 6/10 Originality: 7/10 Soundtrack: 7/10 Characters: 4/10 Overall: 6/10
Sarah P

Creative & playful look into heaven, hell, God, and purgatory of course - done by a 14 year old girl.