The first trailer I saw for this looked kind of decent, nothing spectacular, but it looked as if it may deliver the goods in terms of supplying the horror fan with a long needed jolt. Then I started seeing the television commercials and saw the rating, PG-13. Come on, where are our R rated horror films? And no, I don't mean the tepid Hide and Seek, I mean something with a little more blood and gore in it to help out the growing abundance of jump scares. I was disappointed when I saw the rating for this, especially since the titular bad guy was being compared to such slasher luminaries as Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Against my better judgment, I made my way out to the theater to take it in, my only hope was that it be better than the absolutely dreadful Darkness and Alone in the Dark. Let me end this by saying that as I left the theater I found I had a smile on my face for no apparent reason.
Perhaps it was my lowered expectations that let me enjoy this, but I found myself really getting into this movie. It opens with a young boy in his room, imagination running wild, like any kid's does, thinking there is something in the shadows waiting to get him. His father comes in and assures him there is nothing there, just before he is dragged off into the emptiness of the closet. Jump ahead a few years and we are reintroduced to the boy, who is now working at a magazine, happily engaged, but then, like it always does, his past creeps up on him.
The rest of the film deals with returning to his childhood home and coming face to face with the entity that everyone had been trying to convince him did not exist. There are a lot of illogical leaps made in the film, but I still found myself getting wrapped up in, despite how ridiculous it got. It reminded me a lot of the recent American version of The Grudge, both films are on the bloodless side and rely on a jump scare every few minutes. I liked that film too, maybe that is why I enjoyed this one.
I liked how the timeline fragmented about halfway through, adding a bit more confusion to the proceedings which helps in the payoff. I like how they tied his original fears into the appearance of the creature. I like the washed out look of movie. I like the way that the main character was targeted by the creature, I guess it always wants to get it's kid, regardless of how long it takes for the target to face his or her fears. I like how it took on a different appearance and different mode of attack depending on the target.
I didn't like how the film just stopped. I didn't like how some threads were left hanging, like people who disappeared without satisfying resolution. I didn't like how some characters gave conflicting advice minutes apart. I didn't like the lack of blood or harder violence, despite the opportunity to include it (my guess is that there will be an unrated director's cut).
The performances were decent, despite a lacking script. Barry Watson stars as Tim, our would be hero and target of the entity's attention. Emily Deshanel portrays a childhood friend who has a grounding effect on Tim. The rest of the cast moves in and out of focus as the plot needed them.
Bottomline. I can't defend this as a good movie, it's not. I can't call this a scary movie, jump scares alone do not make a horror film. My enjoyment of this movie is completely irrational. But that is what happens sometimes with the movies, they affect us in odd ways sometimes and we find ourselves enjoying the unlikely. Hopefully someone else feels the same way.
Recommended.
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