I’m not sure why, but I was certain this film was a 12A. Seconds before it started I was informed that it most definitely wasn’t and it was incredibly scary. Stories began to emerge such as, ‘yeh my mates girlfriend was in tears half way through cos it was so scary’ and ‘its made by the producers of Saw and Paranormal Activity’. I had to prepare myself for something apparently much more horrifying than a 12A. What was I thinking?
Ten minutes in and I could understand how potentially scary this would be. A family whos young son has fallen into a mysterious coma that bewilders doctors, and unusual events taking place in the new house. The ‘haunted new house’ situation was all too common; which unfortunately led to a lot of presuppositions about how to rest of the film would pan out. It followed suit for a while. The wife was scared. The husband was sceptical. An argument ensues.
Although it was actually quite frightening in the beginning. The ghostly schoolboy was a little much for me and caused some incessant nose itching (my clever trick for easy eye-coverage should something scary happen). James Wan (Director) uses camera angles that accentuates the jump-factor, and the softly, eerie lighting adds well to the ‘modern horror’ vibe that comes with such production.
It felt like a slow burner, but unfortunately it burned out very fast, and went from frightening to ludicrous. The comedy-duo mid film will confuse the audience and have them wondering what genre Wan is really going for. The ambivalence continues with the ‘other world’ scene that felt like something out of ‘Clash of the Titans’ with the weird hoofed/bird/devil thing. On the whole I felt disappointed. Because at the end, it was closer to a 12A, as the horror factor was lost to nonsensical crap that left nothing to the imagination. Which is a key quality to a good horror film, right? If this is the love child of two of the most successful horror franchises in film, then it’s a real shame, as it was neither here nor there.
It will never be a classic, but it will entertain and quite possibly give people quite a scare, particularly in the first half of the film.
Wait for it to go to DVD and rent it.
4/10
Simmons says – Load of wank like a money bank yo!!!
2/10
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