A young couple moves into a rundown house into the woods; disaster strikes when the house is seemingly possessed by the malevolent spirit of a young boy. The young couple tries to make do as strange events occur throughout their livelyhood in the house. Their neighbors are full of nothing but good intentions throughout the scenario; and revealed is that their own son entered a coma due to a coma nearly a year before due to a car accident. The woman of the couple is now on medication and…I'll stop here.This movie is not what I would consider a true horror film as much as it is a psychological suspense film. There are at least two moments where the typical violin streak is heard for ambiance; it managed to scare me once – but otherwise it was one of those fake scares. The film ushers the typical scare moments and scenes of supernatural where the ghost of a malevolent spirit (the boy) appears; but otherwise they are purely psychological save for actually confirming they are real out in the woods from the house some distance away. I would say about half of the film is spent revealing that the woman is insane; but this is already established in the fact that her husband is a psychiatrist and she is already on medication; her condition only gets worth throughout the film.The film, logically by most horror movie standards, would continue the downward spiral as the malevolent spirit continues to wreak havoc and otherwise get the woman killed, possess her and have her do its bidding. It doesn't work that way – I won't spoil it, but the movie quickly does an about face, takes everything established and throws it right out the window. It just so happens that the woman's hallucinations are in fact correct – regardless of if they chime in with reality or not.This does not make a very good film when I am required to stomach a movie that shows itself as horror, when it is in fact nothing short of a suspense filled angst fest. The movie might be good for those that want to watch a young couple sharing their stress with the neighbors, but that's all I can think of.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/?p=5517).

While the story is so-so and has all the unnecessary clichés, it played out pretty well and not mind-numbingly stupid like most Hollywood flicks. The acting is great (especially the performance of Fairuza Balk), actors behave like actual real people, you won't find any stupid blond chicks running around and screaming all the time. Cast is also great, actors really fit their roles. Directing and editing are well done. Soundtrack does it job, but can't say you will remember it.I guess it can't be "all time favorite" movie, but it's certainly recommended for rental or having in collection.

Okay, I understand that this movie has problems. I wont deny that. However in terms of your standard low budget ghost house flick...this is above average.I think at this point its important to note that I am a huge fan of Fairuza Balk. Her acting in this was actually pretty believable and it did provide the film with the best performance. I should mention that because I'm a fan of her, the rating was never altered in any way just because she's in it.Hannah was in a car crash with her 11 year old son, Daniel. She made it out okay but Daniel is in a coma. A year later Daniel is still in a coma but Hannah hasn't lost any hope that he'll wake up. She moves to a house with her husband, Graham (played by Greg Bryk). Suffering from feelings of extreme guilt, Hannah takes antidepressants and sleeping pills. She then begins to see things in the house. Graham believes that the medication is just producing a side effect and she discovers from one of her neighbors that a boy went missing (also aged 11 and also named Daniel) and she begins to look for the clues that might point her to what happened to him.As I said before, I am aware that this movie has problems. I mean the scariest jump scares in the movie are a little boy chanting, water and pipes rattling. However some of this set up, you have to admit, is pretty damn well done. Firstly, the kid in the car crash adds depth to the character of Hannah. She has prayed and never given up hope that her son will wake up. The use of her medication is also pretty well done because it does leave the door open to "this could all be some nervous breakdown" and Fairuza pulls this off brilliantly. This is the only thing about the film that is even remotely creepy, (the Is it psychological? Is it real? type thing)I think I should mention some of the bad aspects too. The jump scares in this film are AWFUL and overused (you have a great psychological scare set up and you don't rely on that?), the third act is rushed and clichéd (and almost ruined an otherwise pretty well done film) and this one can kind of be blamed on nitpicking but the house on the cover isn't the house they're in. The house on the cover is wooden, rectangular and more like a cabin. The house in the movie is brick, 2 stories high rounded and actually looks like a decent enough place to live in. Take this however you want to. I mean I like that it didn't go for the traditional haunted house look but at the same time...they couldn't get a photo of it to put on the cover of their movie?In terms of what I liked...the acting is pretty well done from most performers. At some points Greg Bryk left a lot to be desired as did Joan Gregson but as a whole their performances were okay. The cinematography is actually quite well put together (it is by far the most visually stunning haunted house film in years), the sets were well done.So see this how you will. Its not a great horror movie but I don't think it was trying to be. At least, unlike your average Paranormal Activity film, there is some effort. The set up could've made way for an excellent film it just needed more time in the writers lap to correct mistakes. If you want to see a film that attempts jump scares but is actually more effective at psychological scares and creating mood, I'd say check it out. It might have a few bad things about it but its not as bad as what the other reviewers make it out to be.

Bad writing, bad direction, bad editing, bad acting. It has it all. Frankly, I enjoy a good low budget feature, but I can't tolerate a strung-together series of the most clichéd scenes imaginable. Wandering into a dark basement alone at night? Make-you-jump loud sounds, in lieu of true scares? A husband who doesn't believe his stressed-out wife? The ol' disappearing "evil water" routine? And that in just the first thirty minutes.And, what's with the fade-to-black between scenes? It's amateurish and distracting.The set-dressing is horrible. It calls attention to itself in almost every location.Frankly, I couldn't finish the film. A "script supervisor" position is obviously not the best experience for direction, just as a "sound editor" most likely has no business jumping into writing screenplays.There's a reason this waste of time went directly to video, although I assume that was the intention from the beginning.