This film really appealed to me, as I love the lush mountainous Eastern Europe countryside, and the hospitality of the locals. If you ever have the chance to visit Eastern Europe or the Balkans, don't hesitate to go.Christopher McDonald(Happy Gilmore's Shooter McGavin) gives a remarkable performance, if not over-the-top, as an archaeologist determined to find the tomb of an evil child prince who enjoyed public displays of torture. The site has a history with McDonald as well, his family was brutally slain here when he was a child. Tagging along is his girlfriend/boss, former Miss Virgina Lisa Aliff, and his drunk photographer friend and his annoying yoga obsessed wife. Throw in character actor Vincent Schiavelli, as his father's assistant and current mental patient, determined to seek revenge, and you have a solid involving story.The torture chamber was brilliantly constructed, and Christopher McDonald's deranged enthusiasm was classic. Lisa Aliff provides the skin, and it is rather noteworthy, she is an enchanting beauty. I have watched this film over and over again, and like it just as much as the first time I viewed it.

this was okay but not anything special the dialog is often very bad and the characters are very non amiable and very annoying but it has a decent premise and some nice gore effects this had the potential to be a decent little flick but overall it was mediocre and kinda dull toothe directing is average and the killings are passable as is this movie for a lot of reasons why is he killing his friends yes i know because of that imaginary boy he played with as a child forced him to do it but still ya can fight it if ya know what i mean and he is killing them in very gruesome ways and this was just sorta blah overall and is just average worth a watch on a boring day but avoid otherwise ** out of 5

albeit an interesting start of a story, playhouse is just that, a start. In horror movies, every question you ask must be answered and playhouse just doesn't cut it. On the verge of being a really good horror classic, it faltered. and just because it bothers me! Why does the ten year old "prince of evil" wear modern-day street clothes?! He's supposed to be hundreds of years old! It doesn't make any sense!

Well, I really can say only good things about this movie: It's a high-quality psychological thriller with few holes in the script, good performances and director's work. I liked the idea of putting the action and characters in an old mysterious monastery in Serbia, where the tragedy have happened.