The Butterfly Room

Plot synopsis:
The film centers around Ann, an introverted unfriendly woman who lives in an apartment building with her neighbour, a single mother named Claudia and her daughter Julie. Ann has an obsession with pinning butterflies and has room in her apartment devoted to it. At the beginning of the film, Ann walks past a workman balancing dangerously on a ladder whilst trimming a tree. She kicks the ladder out from beneath him. The workman's boss, Nick, runs out and apologises - having not seen that Ann was responsible. Julie has been locked out by her irresponsible mother. Ann invites her inside her apartment to pass the time until her mother arrives home.
Julie's mother, Claudia arrives home and invites Ann to dinner to thank her for looking after Julie. The workman arrives at Ann's house to apologise and do some repairs. He explains that he thought she may have kicked his ladder because he had previously seen her scolding a young girl in the corridor of the apartment building. Ann says she had not noticed he was there. Ann asks if he could quickly help her move something in the butterfly room. Just as the door opens she lunges from the corner and sprays him in the face with the acid she bought from the taxidermy shop.
This is followed by a flashback sequence, the first being the scene where she scolds the young girl. We then see a time decal of the month previous where she meets the girl in a mall. She sees the girl by herself crying and goes over to check on her. The girl, whose name is Alice, explains that the money she had been given to buy a doll has been stolen. Ann pities Alice and buys her a doll. Alice asks for Ann's address and says she will repay her later. As she walks away, Alice throws the doll in a trashcan. The film then flashes forward to Alice visiting Ann. She gives Ann a portrait she drew of her, Ann returns the gesture by gifting a pinned blue butterfly. Alice sees a handmade ornament with Dorothy inscribed on it. Ann explains that Dorothy is her deceased daughter. Alice looks around the apartment and sees that there are some french books on Ann's shelf. When she leaves, Alice asks Ann if she can keep the money she was supposed to repay her for the doll and explains her mother is disabled. Ann agrees to give Alice the money and offers to tutor Alice in French. Alice agrees to come back.
Ann enters a rundown apartment block. Ann picks up a blue framed butterfly, showing that the apartment is where Alice lives. Ann packs some of Alice's clothes and leaves. In the elevator, Ann hits the emergency stop buttons and opens a small trap door. There is a body underneath the lift. Ann appears to be preserving the body. Someone then calls the lift, Ann panics and drops the carpet over the open trapdoor. Ann later has dinner with Claudia and Julie. When Julie goes to bed, Claudia discusses her relationship with her "office manager" and announces pregnancy to Ann. She then ask Ann to watch Julie over the weekend. In a flashback sequence, Ann discovers Alice with another woman at the mall. She then discovers the doll she made for her on display in a store. Back in the present, Nick asks Ann if she has seen the workman who went to her apartment and she says she had to ask him to leave because of how rude he was. When Ann is standing outside the school, she starts talking to a boy named William. A woman then yells at Ann to stay away from her son.
Ann is shown stalking Alice in a flashback scene. The girl is on her way to accompany another lonely women named Olga. Ann then goes to Alice's apartment and meets her mother pretending to be Olga. Her mother is revealed to be a one legged prostitute who leaves because she is on her way to a client and gives her the key to the apartment. Ann then proceeds to push the woman down the elevator that stopped in between floors, killing her. In the present day, Nick is fixing Ann's window before he confronts her about demolishing the wall in her apartment. He then offers her to have workers tear down the wall for her illegally for money after he moves a dresser in front of the butterfly room for her. Ann, after seeing Alice with Olga, follows them into the bathroom. Ann then kills Olga.
As Ann is talking to Julie in the present day, she is confronted by Dorothy, the mother of William, outside of her apartment. Dorothy states that she will not let Ann harm Julie because she knows what Ann is capable of. It is revealed that Dorothy is Ann's estranged daughter. The next day Claudia talks about the abortion she plans to have which upsets Ann. Claudia then enters the butterfly room to get Julie. As Claudia picks Julie up from school, Dorothy warns her of Ann. She reveals that almost drowned her as child, traumatizing her. Dorothy then gives Claudia her phone number in case something happens. Claudia then confronts Ann telling her to leave her daughter alone. She then pushes Ann down and as she is leaving, Ann kills her. As Julie is looking for her mother in Ann's apartment, she discovers a disfigured corpse of a man before finding Alice's corpse in the butterfly room. Julie accidentally redials Dorothy's number who hears Ann taunting the girl. Dorothy hits Ann with her car as she chased Julie onto the street. The film ends with Julie celebrating her birthday. She was adopted by Dorothy. When William yells at his mother, Dorothy stares off into the camera.

Tags: flashback

Review:
As soon as it got listed in the official program of the 30th annual Belgian Festival of Fantastic Films, I've been eagerly anticipating to see "The Butterfly Room".
For obvious reasons, I presume, namely the return of horror diva Barbara Steele – the legendary beautiful and hypnotizing lead actress of such Gothic horror milestones as "Black Sunday", "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "Castle of Blood".
The casting of Steele is the undeniable highlight, of course, but writer/director Jonathan Zarantonello's whole incentive of making a thriller solely revolving on female protagonists is enormously respectable and, in fact, quite innovative as the horror genre still somewhat remains a masculine world where women are often degraded to inferior roles.
Apart from Barbara Steele, Zarantonello managed to gather the dignified horror ladies Erica Leerhsen ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), Camille Keaton ("I Spit on your Grave"), Adrienne King ("Friday the 13th), PJ Soles ("Halloween") and Heather Langenkamp ("Nightmare on Elm Street").
Steele is splendid as the aging but nevertheless still very stylish and fashionable Ann, a lonely woman who reverts to her hobby of collecting butterflies and exhibiting them in a sober room where only she's allowed to enter.
Ann is always eager to babysit her neighbor's young daughter and she also takes obsessive custody of a girl she met at the shopping mall, because her motherly instincts remain unanswered.
"The Butterfly Room" is 100% American produced, but the atmosphere feels totally European, more particularly reminiscent of those typically lurid Italian gialli and psychedelic dramas.
The roots of director Zarantonello and the decades of Barbara Steele's horror experience are clearly detectable.
Beautiful imagery and tasteful photography complete this worthwhile effort that particularly comes recommended to admirers of strong feminine horror ladies and nostalgia..
An American horror film with an Italian flair and a classic cast.
Italian Writer/Director Jonathan Zarantonello, in his first English language film, has brought together a rather intriguing cast and delivered an original horror piece that should entertain fans of both vintage & recent horror films.
A substantial part of it's success is owed to the film's tight, well written script, but make no mistake, long standing horror icon Barbara Steele absolutely owned the role of Ann. While it may help some folks by reading further into the film's actual full synopsis, I found that even though going in blind was a tad confusing at first, especially if you aren't glued to the screen for every moment, it pays off later when everything clicks and falls so neatly into place.
So I will do my usual, less is more outline.Ann is an older, private, but elegant woman with a passion for butterfly collecting, who longs for the companionship like that of which she had so many years past with of her seemingly long lost daughter Dorothy.
One day while out shopping, Ann is drawn into the company of a young, seductive and extremely manipulative young girl Alice(Julia Putnam).
Despite this being an American production, Zarantonello manages to effectively put that familiar Italian Giallo feel into the film.
The atmosphere was very creepy and the film possessed that 60's kind of look & feel to it, with cinematography that was reminiscent of the horror films of old.
As a bonus for horror buff's, there was no shortage of cameo's from the likes of Erica Leerhsen(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Heather Langenkamp(Nightmare on Elm Street), Adrienne King(Friday the 13th), Camille Keaton (I Spit on your Grave), PJ Soles(Halloween).
I recommend taking this old Buick for a ride if you happen to have an urge for something creepy or looking for a good late night horror flick(which in my case is every night)..
Scrolling through YouTube looking for what new horror films would be coming out this year, and I just happened upon this movie's trailer.
Being a very much hard core horror/thriller movie fan I was shocked that this movie's title has never crossed my path until today!Along with it being a very real piece of actual entertainment(which sadly these days is very hard to come by), it also had such an array of horror movie icons that made appearances throughout.
Some of them being, Erica Leerhsen(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Heather Langenkamp(Nightmare on Elm Street), Adrienne King(Friday the 13th), Camille Keaton (I Spit on your Grave), PJ Soles(Halloween)...and I must quote one of the other reviewers opinion in my saying that I wholeheartedly agree that you just won't find a better psychotic & violent portrayal by a women that, can you believe, is seventy-five years old, in my speaking of the great Barbara Steele.Seriously wish that this little gem of a horror would have received more recognition, as it so deserved.
I was walking by a small cinema in NY and stumbled upon the Butterfly Room and am glad I did.Barbara Steele steals the show as the lead actress; excellent cast overall (with extensive horror film history).
The Butterfly Room movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as the plot slowly unravels.Top notch cinematography.
Warning: This movie may cause nightmares!Grab your friends and some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride in this one of a kind thriller!
Great movie with an amazing cast.
Barbara Steele looks amazing and is very much still a great star.
I have recommended this movie to my friends and family and look forward to seeing it in theaters this weekend in LA and attending the Q&A with the director and the cast Friday and Saturday.
In the Butterfly Room, the story hinges on Ann (Barbara Steele) who is a strong, elegant, reclusive and centers her life around her butterfly collection.
Although this movie has a to-die-for cast including Barbara Steele (Black Sunday), Adrienne King (Friday The 13th), Heather Lagenkamp (Nightmare On Elm Street), Camille Keaton (I Spit On Your Grave), P.J. Soles (Halloween), Erica Leerhsen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) AND is shot with a very stylish flair - the story is just not there to hold up its end of the deal.
When a little girl who uses lonely older women as ATM machines tries to make Ann (Steele) her next victim, the tables get turned.
Horror aficionados will still want the check this out for the cool cast and the updated Bava/Giallo-ish style.
I actually feel almost pretty much like the last reviewer, with the peculiar exception, that, after saying himself that the movie was tedious and very tiresome, only to end up talking mainly about the great cult cast, he does then give to this film a much higher rating than mine!
Yes, the visionary images and a classy, stylized cinematography,do help the ladies to come across pretty incisive, but that, does not make a good movie!
Forgive me, i wish i could have just said something a lot more positive, but, here we are again, in front of those projects, wanting so badly to remind you of the fabulous classic Giallo's of the past, or even of the Horrors, who were then truly a fist in the stomach, instead, all you got here, is an inspired, and, truly never surprising product, featuring a great cast of females, all ex great B Horrors stars, who are so seriously left without much mystery to work with or suggestions.
While, Mr. Zarantonello's interest, in this shabby effort, shows only an obvious interest for the ladies, which is, again, a greater intent,indeed, by using, on the opposite side, just some rather anti climatic, down dreary, simply very dull male actors, not even a real face, at once, or, at least, some glance of mystery, or of a more masculine anger, this movie does, ultimately, not even help those stars to shine a little more, but, actually, in some sort of very bizarre way, it makes them all feel like they were all too over the top, in order to be watchable!
Again,if very professionally created, and crafted,while, certainly greatly lit images are often on display, it is pretty painfully clear that takes a lot more, to make a decent thriller, delivering some kind of a grip of sort, worth watching!
Those were truly a work of genius, for the most part, and, in fact they still bewitch us,making us discuss, and dream on, but, i am afraid, and, truly sorry to bring the bad news, i don't think you'll be talking for very long, if any at all, about this latter one!
Ok so I really didn't have high hopes for this movie to begin with but thought that it would maybe actually surprise me.
The idea with the butterflies etc etc was good in a sense and could have worked out but it fell flat.
So my conclusion for this movie is that it was rather boring and I felt like I wasted my time if I have to be completely honest.
So if you're into movies with so-so plot and love to hear random rock music in almost every god damn scene and unrealistic conversation go a head, knock yourself out..
Although The Butterfly Room addresses the real life horrors of child abuse, obsession, murder, and deceit, it suffers from an awkward script and an overt artistic style characterized by modified color schemes, reverse editing, flashbacks, and a generic synth/rock soundtrack, which is less effective than it is distracting.
With these strucutral flaws, the film is forced to lean much too heavily on its distrubing premise, the simultaneously beautiful and macabre practice of insect preservation, and the strength of Barbara Steele's performance as the psychotic Ann..
It was like three short films with similar plots being spliced up and played over each other.
The entomologist Ann (Barbara Steele) is an old lonely woman with bipolar disorder and rejected by her daughter Dorothy (Heather Langenkamp) due to a serious incident when Dorothy was a child.
Soon Ann finds that Alice manipulates other old women and she visits her crippled mother Olga (Camille Keaton) and she discovers that she is a prostitute that uses Alice to make money for her.
Ann reacts in a violent way against Alice's mother and triggers her madness.In the present days, Ann meets the girl Julie (Ellery Sprayberry) in her building alone in the corridor.
Her mother and Ann's neighbor Claudia (Erica Leerhsen) neglects her daughter and Ann takes care of Julie.
Ann brings Julie to her apartment and she does not allow her to enter in her butterfly room, where she keeps more sensitive specimens; however Julie tells to her mother that there is a girl inside the room.
"The Butterfly Room" is a creepy non-linear movie with a deranged lead character performed by Barbara Steele.
The timeline with many flashbacks seems to be confused to many viewers that apparently did not understand the plot and the movie is underrated in IMDb. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Segredo da Borboleta" ("The Secret of the Butterfly").
The words that she uses she is so convincing as this part its amazing.The only difference between this movie and my life is that my mother is still alive and we still do not speak.
She tries to pretend she is completely innocent and not at fault for anything.This movie is not a disappointment as I watch plenty of horror and thrillers as it is.
I guess this movie is pretty unknown with only 14 people reviewing it before me and less than 1000 rating it.
I guess a matter of taste because I wouldn't think this movie is bad in any way.
Why was Ann (brilliantly played by Barbara Steele with those deadly staring eyes) so obsessed with little girls?
Maybe she wanted them to stay young and beautiful forever just like the butterflies she preserved and pinned to the walls.
I'm sure if you pay well attention enough most of the questions do get answered yet that is probably what makes the movie and story so strong, some of the mystery remains.
Not only Ann is an interesting character study but little Alice as well.
Kudos to Julia Putnam pulling this role of well and also Ellery Sprayberry as little Julie who was obviously going to be Ann's next victim.
The story alternates between present and flash-back storytelling which demands a little focus and in the beginning a little confusing about why Ann reacts to some people in a certain way but in the end the pieces of the puzzle come together.
Very tense last scenes with the characters of Julie, Ann, workman Nick (Ray Wise) and Dorothy (Heather Langenkamp) all coming together.
First I have to say Barbara Steele looks great to be as old as she is.
The movie itself is original, and different , and interesting enough to make you want to see how it ends.
Might have been a better movie had he let someone else write the story based on his novel and ideas.I liked some elements, like the girl Alice picking up older women and them paying her to spend time with them.Had a top notch director and a good writer done this movie it could have been quite good.the main character /villain being a woman who loved young girls, but was a horrible mother to her own daughter.
she seemed to not like men at all.the characters are all a little unrealistic, but at same time realistic.The movie itself is confusing with the silly flashbacks, but the basic story is Ann wants to have her daughter back, or better yet to have another daughter, as long as she doesn't have to have a baby herself.
**spoilers below***Alice winds up like the butterfly's.
the other young girl Julie is the one who sort of solves the mystery, and is Ann's undoing.
Ironically Ann saves her at the end from being hit by a car, even though she was trying to kill her.So overall I gave it a 6 due to being different and somewhat original.
This movie begins with an interesting premise but it quickly disappoints due to the rocky acting from the supporting cast and the shoddy script.
Barbara Steele is very effective as the unhinged central character, but her performance is not complemented by any of the other actors.The children are shrill and impertinent, failing to garner any of the audience's sympathies.
Not a single one of the characters, with the exception of the lead, is written like an actual human being.At one point a other in an elevator flies into an absurd rage when Ann, our main character, mistakes her for someone else.
Another character is supposed to be around age 14, and definitely looks it, but dresses up like she's five.All well and good for entrancing old women, but do you really expect me to believe that the Shirley Temple shtick works on all of the other characters?
I put off seeing this movie for the longest time because I've seen far too many mixed reviews.
Ultimately, while there were things to enjoy in this movie, I should have listened to the reviews.The movie is an odd mix of influences, drawing heavily from the Italian horror masters for its' visual aesthetic and combining that with a plot and style that reminded me greatly of the "hag horror" films of the 60s (suck as WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE).
While, at times, the movie feels too derivative to have a big impact on the viewer what ultimately kills it is the acting, which is just horrible all around.
It almost pains me to say that due to the love that I have for a lot of these actresses, but to call the acting wooden would be an insult to wood.The plot revolves around a mysterious young girl that the viewer never truly gets to know enough about to give the plot the emphasis that it needed.
The daughter of an actual prostitute, the movie definitely plays with the idea that she is selling herself to a stream of women, as well, though she is being paid for time and attention more than sex.
This brings her to Barbara Steele, one of the icons of 60s horror.
Steele's character is drawn to this girl and develops a strong obsession with her, trying to use her to replace the real daughter that we come to know more about as the movie unfolds.
The movie bounces erratically, from present day to flashback, revealing the story of this mysterious girl, her ultimate fate and what that has to do with a new young girl that has come into Steele's life.The most positive thing going for this is the look of the movie.
Too much else in this movie fails to work effectively, though.
We have a present day story, we bounce continually to the story of Steele and her relationship with the mysterious little Anne and we, also, flash back even further to scenes that we think have to do with Anne, but ultimately end up being even further in the past, giving some explanation to how Steele ended up as she did.It's the acting that just slaughters this movie, though.
The rest of the actresses, like Adrienne King, PJ Soles, and Camille Keaton are really nothing more than cameos.It's a shame to gather all of these names and waste them, but that's really what this is.
Maybe the film makers knew they needed more than what they had and figured some stunt casting couldn't hurt.
In any case, there are hundreds of better indie horror films that you could be watching right now..
It was a promising film, with loads of Argento-like captures and also in general plot.
I really had a good time, although confused by the time-lines, that at some point go berserk.At this moment, you don't know who is who, the what or why or when get all mixed up, messed up, and I can't even describe the last 30 minutes...If anyone even read my comments, they should know I am a total horror/thriller fan, and it's not my business dissing movies, instead I'd love to say good things about this genre.But really, this turns out to be pathetic, pointless, overall confusing, and really with no plot.