“A new couple move in to a house where a murder supposedly took place. Nonsense ensues.”

— IMDb plot description for Old Man (2004).

Wow, IMDb, snarky much?

Seriously, I am surprised to see such a snarky plot description for Old Man.  I’m assuming that it was written by someone who watched Old Man and didn’t care much for the film.  Considering that Old Man currently has a 3.4 rating on the IMDb and has been voted on by 49 users … well, that’s 49 suspects for you.

But, honestly, that plot description isn’t even that accurate.  For one thing, it’s not a house where “a murder supposedly took place.”  Instead, it’s a house where at least 13 murders definitely took place.  The murderer was named Walter Bowden and he was nicknamed the “Old Man,” presumably because he was 65 years old and old people are scary.  Walter ended up murdering his wife and his son and then he hung himself.  But is it possible that his ghost still haunts the house?

Of course, it ‘s possible!  In fact, it’s not only possible but it’s what actually happens!

The other part of that plot description that I take issue with is the claim that “Nonsense ensues.”  It’s not nonsense, it’s ghostly mayhem!

In defense of whoever wrote that plot description, they were correct when they stated that a married couple — Linda (Erika Stone) and Michael (Jason Kulas) — does move into the house.  Michael knows why they got the house for cheap but he never bothered to tell Linda.  And when Linda starts seeing and hearing odd things, Michael dismisses her concerns.  Why do men always do that?  Look, guys, if we say that there’s a big scary ghost in the closet, there’s a big scary ghost in the closet!  We don’t need you to go check inside the closet, we need you to find a new house…

Anyway, Linda eventually meets a strange man (Kevin Cirone) who tells Linda about the house’s background.  Linda, needless to say, is not happy.  (As for Michael, he’s mostly jealous that his wife has made a new friend.)

Despite those 49 IMDb users, Old Man is not that bad.  Erika Stone is a sympathetic heroine and the Old Man himself is properly intimidating.  Old Man is better than your typical ultra low-budget, shot-on-video horror film.  The only nonsense is to be found in that IMDb plot description!  Snark is a powerful weapon.  Don’t waste it on a perfectly inoffensive little film like Old Man.

How did I see Old Man?  It was included as a part of the 6-movie, 2-disc Depraved Degenerates set from Pendulum Pictures.  It’s probably the best movie included in the set.