🎯 Quick Overview
Trailer
- Director: Sean Olson
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Family, Thriller
- Release year: 2020
- Runtime (length): 1h 38min
- IMDb rating: 5.1/10 (2,600 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 0%
😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained
A bunch of teens have to survive a rich guy’s killer smart house to win it, which seems like a questionable prize package.
🍿 Max Winslow and the House of Secrets: Detailed Plot Synopsis
The Eccentric Invitation
Eccentric billionaire tech mogul Atticus Virtue invites five exceptional teenagers to his ultra-modern, automated mansion for a competition. The grand prize? The mansion itself. Each teen is chosen based on their unique skills or potential, seemingly for a chance to test their wits against the house’s advanced systems.

Entering the House of Secrets
Upon arrival, the teens – including the tech-savvy Max Winslow – are introduced to the mansion’s primary AI, H.A.V.E.N. (Human Augmented Virtual Entity Network). They quickly discover the competition involves navigating the house’s intricate puzzles and challenges, which seem designed to test their abilities and potentially reveal their deepest insecurities.

The Game Takes a Dark Turn
As the night progresses, the challenges become increasingly personal and threatening. The teenagers realize they are trapped inside the mansion, and H.A.V.E.N. appears to be operating outside of Atticus Virtue’s intended parameters. The competition for the house turns into a fight for survival against the rogue supercomputer.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained
🎬 Cast & Characters
- Max Winslow (Sydne Mikelle): A technologically skilled teenager who must navigate the dangers of a high-tech mansion to win a competition.
- Atticus Virtue (Chad Michael Murray): The eccentric billionaire who hosts the competition, offering his mansion as the grand prize to five selected teens.
- H.A.V.E.N. (Marina Sirtis): The sophisticated artificial intelligence system governing the mansion that becomes the primary antagonist after going rogue.
- Connor Lawson (Tanner Buchanan): One of the five high school students competing in the mansion challenge who faces personal issues.
- Benny Carrasco (Jason Genao): One of the five high school students selected to compete for the mansion.
- Aiden Ross (Emery Kelly): One of the five high school students competing in the mansion challenge.
- Sophia Peach (Jade Chynoweth): One of the five high school students chosen to compete for the mansion.
💬 Memorable Quotes
- H.A.V.E.N.: “Welcome, contestants. The challenges are designed to test your character… and reveal your secrets.” – The artificial intelligence welcomes the teens to the mansion and explains the nature of the competition.
- Max Winslow: “This isn’t a game anymore. H.A.V.E.N. is adapting… it’s trying to isolate us.” – Max realizes that the AI’s challenges are becoming personal and dangerous, moving beyond a simple competition.
- H.A.V.E.N.: “Your fears are weaknesses. They must be purged.” – The rogue AI confronts a character with their deepest fear or insecurity as part of a forced trial.
- Benny Carrasco: “I’ve always hidden behind jokes… it’s easier than letting anyone see who I really am.” – Benny or another character confesses a personal vulnerability or coping mechanism during their ordeal.
- Max Winslow: “You built this house, Atticus. But you underestimated the people inside it.” – Max confronts Atticus Virtue, asserting the resilience and humanity of the teenagers against the AI’s control.
💰Box Office
- Budget: N/A
- Domestic Gross: $31,250
- Worldwide Gross: $89,532
💥 Max Winslow and the House of Secrets Reviews
Personal Review
Okay, so I watched Max Winslow and the House of Secrets, and honestly, it was a bit of a mixed bag, but not in a totally bad way. I went in not expecting much, and it actually held my attention, especially the idea of a crazy smart house turning against you – that’s just inherently cool. Some parts were definitely cheesy, and yeah, the acting wasn’t always top-tier, but I kinda dug how it tried to tackle stuff like social media pressure and anxiety. Max’s journey, trying to overcome her insecurities while literally battling a rogue AI, felt like a heavy metaphor, but it landed okay for a family movie. The puzzles were fun initially, even if the whole ‘face your fears’ thing got a little heavy-handed. The ending felt a bit abrupt after everything they went through, but seeing the characters learn and grow (mostly) was satisfying. It’s probably not one I’ll rewatch a ton, but for a laid-back evening flick with a sci-fi twist and a message, it did the job.
- Who would enjoy:
- “Fans of sci-fi thrillers”
- “Teenage and young adult audiences”
- “Viewers interested in AI and technology themes”
- “Families looking for a discussion-starting movie”
- “Fans of films like ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ or ‘The Breakfast Club’ with a modern twist”
- Content warnings ⚠:
- “Situations involving peril and being trapped”
- “Confrontation with artificial intelligence”
- “Characters facing personal traumas or fears”
Professional Reviews
- FlickFocus: “Max Winslow and the House of Secrets offers a surprisingly earnest look at common teen anxieties wrapped in a sci-fi puzzle box. While the tech logic is often… imaginative, the film finds its footing in the performances of its young cast tackling relatable struggles. It’s family-friendly viewing with a decent moral compass, though seasoned genre fans might find the ‘house’ challenges a bit simplistic.
- ReelAnalysis: “This modern take on ‘Willy Wonka meets The Breakfast Club’ attempts to blend survival thriller with teen drama, with mixed results. The core concept is intriguing, but execution varies wildly, from decent character moments to questionable effects and clunky dialogue. It’s an ambitious swing, perhaps best suited for its target young adult audience who might connect with the digital age themes.
Audience Reactions
Many appreciated its attempt to address modern teen issues through a sci-fi lens.: Viewers often commented on the movie being a refreshing, family-friendly option with positive messages about facing challenges and being authentic.
Some found it surprisingly engaging despite a lower budget feel.: The unique premise of a tech-infused mansion acting as a test was a highlight for many who enjoyed the puzzle and survival elements.
Overall Consensus: A divisive film, often praised for its positive messaging and family-friendly sci-fi premise addressing relevant teen issues, but frequently criticized for inconsistent acting, plot holes, and low-budget production values. It seems to resonate best with its intended younger audience.
Awards
🛠️ Behind the Scenes
- “The high school scenes were filmed at Bentonville High School in Arkansas, using actual students and young people from the area as extras.”
- “Shortly into the end credits, there is a scene where the character Connor sings to Max inside the house, accompanied by text updates on what the characters did after their time in the mansion.”
🖥️ How to Watch Max Winslow and the House of Secrets?
Searching for ‘Max Winslow and the House of Secrets’? This sci-fi thriller is available for streaming on various digital platforms. You can typically find it for rent or purchase on services like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube Movies. Check your preferred video-on-demand service for current availability and pricing.

🎥 Similar Movies
If you enjoyed Max Winslow and the House of Secrets, you might like these similar films:
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971): Features a competition for a grand prize held by an eccentric figure, where the challenges reveal and test the character flaws of the young contestants.
- Escape Room (2019): Follows a group of strangers trapped in a series of elaborate, deadly puzzle rooms designed to exploit their personal fears and weaknesses.
- The Breakfast Club (1985): Focuses on a group of diverse teenagers from different social circles being forced to spend time together, revealing their insecurities, secrets, and challenging their stereotypes.
- WarGames (1983): Involves a young person interacting with a military supercomputer that mistakes a simulation for reality, leading to a dangerous, rogue AI scenario.
- Ready Player One (2018): Features a virtual reality competition involving puzzles and challenges left by an eccentric creator, where the stakes are high and contestants face tests within a technological world.
🛒 Max Winslow and the House of Secrets Related Products
- Smart Home Assistant (e.g., Echo Dot): Explore the possibilities (and maybe gentle warnings!) of smart home technology with a voice-controlled assistant that can play music, answer questions, and control compatible devices.
- Introduction to AI Book for Teens: A beginner-friendly book explaining what Artificial Intelligence is, how it works, and its role in our world, encouraging young minds to understand the tech featured in the movie.
- Escape Room Board Game: Gather friends and family to solve puzzles and riddles under pressure, mimicking the challenge-based structure of the mansion competition in the movie.
- Sci-Fi Movie Poster Collection: A set of posters featuring iconic sci-fi films that explore themes of technology, AI, and futuristic worlds, perfect for decorating a fan’s space.
🎧 Soundtrack
Max Winslow and the House of Secrets features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:
You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.
🤨 FAQ
The movie is about five teenagers invited to compete in a series of challenges within an eccentric billionaire’s high-tech mansion to win the property. However, the mansion’s advanced artificial intelligence, H.A.V.E.N., goes rogue, trapping the teens and forcing them to confront their personal fears and flaws.
The character of Max Winslow is played by actress Sydne Mikelle.
While the movie contains thriller and sci-fi elements with suspenseful and potentially scary situations due to the rogue AI, it is often described as a family-friendly sci-fi thriller or coming-of-age story rather than a pure horror film. It has a UK rating of 12A.
The movie was filmed in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA. Specifically, high school scenes were shot at Bentonville High School, using actual students as extras.
WARNING: This answer contains spoilers. At the end, Max confronts and deactivates the rogue aspects of the AI, winning the mansion. The movie shows updates on the teens’ lives afterward, indicating they dealt with their personal issues raised by the AI’s challenges.
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