A Highland castle setting is just as important a feature as the characters in this debut feature from the Watts brothers, about a writer taking advantage of his new home's history.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 13, 2021

If you are looking for a good throwback to a grand old gothic good time, Playhouse will be a dreadful delight.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 21, 2020

A Gothic ghost story with oodles of atmosphere but too little tension and suspense.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Nov 20, 2020

Although Playhouse isn't as emotionally critical or tightly written as it should be, The Watts brothers are skilled in nurturing a dour atmosphere and exposing a darker side to the creative impulse.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 17, 2020

A fumbling, groping and almost wholly-unsatisfying thriller set in a towering old house near the water's edge, where the wind howls and there's a shock, fright or laugh behind every tree. Except that it being Scotland, there're no bleeding trees.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Nov 14, 2020

Whilst unresolved mystery is part of the oeuvre of the Gothic, too much just results in a narrative muddle. This, ultimately, dooms the film, but not before they've succeeded in showing off their skills.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 11, 2020

Playhouse is Fionn and Toby's debut feature and certainly shows plenty of flair, we'll certainly be interested to see what they come up with next.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 4, 2020

With a killer location, an exceptional cast, and tight direction from the Watts brothers, Playhouse offers up a taut riff on a familiar haunted house premise.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 30, 2020

Playhouse really is a gothic horror... but it is also a dramatisation of the creative process itself, as we see a writer rummaging through the shadowiest parts of himself to conjure a macabre coup de théâtre.

Full Review | Aug 29, 2020