Based on Wendy MacLeod's surreal and seriously sick play of the same title, writer-director Mark Waters' "The House of Yes" is a comedy that veers into very dark territory while keeping its whipper-snap sharp wit and sense of fun intact.

The film opens with a home video flashback of Jackie-O - the demented woman at the center of the story - showing off her stately home, inter-cut with scenes of a White House tour being given by Jacqueline Kennedy (as she then was). The latter piece of vintage footage chosen, however, plays like some bizarre parody rather than the real thing, and this neatly juxtaposed sequence nicely sets the stage for the coming events which unfold.

In 1983, twenty years after the assassination of JFK, somewhere in Washington DC, the Pascal family, led by the docilely creepy Mrs Pascal (Genevieve Bujold) , live in their fabulous mansion. There's Jackie-O (Parker Posey), the barely sane daughter who's awaiting the return of her fraternal twin Marty (Josh Hamilton) this Thanksgiving night, and Anthony (Freddie Prinze Jr), their unnaturally innocent 19 year old brother who seems perpetually anxious and a little feeble-minded. When Marty unexpectedly arrives with a fiancee, Lesly (Tori Spelling), the entire family is thrown into a funk. Mrs Pascal darkly disapproves of the wholesome, somewhat naïve Lesly on account of Jackie-O's obsessive love for her brother, while Anthony shyly longs after the newcomer and makes hilariously awkward attempts to woo her. Marty himself is conflicted about his feelings for Lesly; having escaped from his family several years earlier, he returns to find himself inextricably drawn to Jackie-O, yet yearning for a life of normalcy and simple contentment with Lesly. As for Jackie-O herself, let's just say there's nothing she wouldn't do to keep her family together…

Obviously, the script is full of non-mainstream elements, but much to the credit of Waters, the film moves along smoothly and manages to engage the audience from the get go. The video format also helps the film tremendously, easing up some of its staginess. Since everything is set within the confines of the house, and the cast of characters is limited to all of five, it is important that the cast gel, and happily, they perform very well together - yes, even Tori Spelling. Although she brings a whole bunch of awful reviews and a decidedly dubious reputation with her, Spelling performs admirably well in this film, holding her own nicely. As Anthony, Freddie Prinze Jr exhibits a much nicer personality here than he did in "I Know What You Did Last Summer" - his performance makes Anthony seem like a slightly more intelligent Keanu Reeves, complete with that nice goofiness that's so "Keanu". Genevieve Bujold is given little to work with, but her off-center line reading makes Mrs Pascal a memorable character in a gallery of psychos. Most of all, Parker Posey and Josh Hamilton rise to the challenge of their roles, expertly navigating the complex nature of the relationship between this pair of twisted twins who share a morbid fascination for sex, violence and death.

In the lean running time of 85 minutes, Mark Waters offers a fascinating picture of a truly dysfunctional family teetering on the edge of collapse, yet somehow staying afloat. The thematic elements of incest, homicide and (potentially) tasteless re-enactments of the JFK assassination are handled so lovingly, and with such aplomb, that everything onscreen crackles with energy and an urgency that is compelling to watch. While it is definitely not for all tastes and inclinations, the audaciously sophisticated "The House of Yes" is also one of the most intelligent films from the increasingly mediocre independent film circuit of recent times.

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