Really? I mean really? So much effort went into the effort of creating suspense and some really thrilling moments. Nothing scary but it is enough to be disturbing and engaging. All the time the options run through your head. Is it really supernatural or are we going to have a psychotic villain? If it is supernatural, what the hell are we dealing with? Until the professor (Noah Taylor) comes up with the explanation, the movie was promising. Then it went downhill so fast I couldn’t believe Kevin Costner took the role.
Sorry, I am getting carried away. Let me give you the plot first and then keep on ranting:
John James (Kevin Costner) is a newly divorced father/writer who moves his kids- teenage daughter Louisa (Ivana Baquero) and little boy Sam (Gattlin Griffith)- to a rural area. It’s supposed to be a fresh start in a new house. However, from the moment they move in, something is always off. Since the daughter is a teenager abondoned by her mother, you need to keep guessing how much of the events is because of hormones/depression/rebellion and how much is horror/thriller material. Then there is a mould in the yard…The film gets an additional character as the children’s new teacher, Cassandra (Samantha Mathis). With a little crush on the dad/the author, she tries to help out the family. But of course, just like any thrill/horror, no amount of emotional support or guidance won’t just cut it.
Suspense-building is good. Tension-creating is good. The acting is OK. The daughter’s lines do get won’t go to waste. But it does. What starts as a promising movie that makes you think why it got a 5.4. on IMDB (and not a 6 or a 7), ends up being a movie that ends up being extremely overrated.
It does remind you a little of Signs and not in a good way. I realized I wasn’t the only one thinking it when I saw a user also made a comparison. The difference is, I think this movie was just as disappointing as Signs.
If you absolutely must watch this movie, just make sure you expect normally until the last 25-30 minutes or so. After that, keep your expectations very,very low and leave your sense of aesthetics completely. And a little spoiler: The very,very final scene may not be what you expect. I am not sure if it is good news or bad news.
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