An architect and her family move out to the country to start their lives over. Their new home, a beautiful mansion needing a lot of repairs, comes complete with a secret room. This room does not appear on the floor plans and is hidden behind a large wardrobe and a locked door. Whatever is in the house does not need a key to get out and preys on the anxiety of a mother grieving the loss of a young child.

The Disappointments Room is one of those based-on-a-true-story haunted house films. Much of the premise of the film is based in fact and history. The titular disappointments room isn't always referred to as that (this film is the first time I heard that particular term), but it is something that happened historically.

I spent five weeks this year teaching high school students how to produce a short horror film. It was an advanced filmmaking class for students who already spent a semester learning how to make web videos. Horror, being my critical specialty, was a perfect match for the students. They were taken on a whirlwind tour of the history of horror, as well as the tropes technical elements that make up much of the genre. 

The big thing I stressed with them was high concept stories. The best horror stems from a simple idea told well. A twist ending might add a wrinkle to the proceedings, but (with few exceptions) the best horror is high concept--simple ideas that are easily told and marketed. The Exorcist, The Shining, Ring, Frankenstein, even more modern hits like Saw and Teeth have simple stories that can be explained in one or two sentences and leave a big impact.

Truth or Dare cannot be faulted on concept.