It's amazing that even while this movie isn't even 2 hours long, it feels like a much longer one. This of course isn't a very positive thing to say and for the movie this means that it has some serious pacing- and writing issues.
I think I know what the main cause is. This is originally a movie meant for television, that is build up in such a way that commercial blocks can fit right into it. This means that the movie ends with a sort of cliffhanger every 20 minutes or so, followed by a much slower build up and than suddenly something mysterious occurs again, right before the screen turns black, which meant that another commercial block could be inserted right in there. So the one moment it feels like the movie is going fast and trying to wrap things up, while the other it's much slower again and not an awful lot is happening. Because this is a circle that's happening over and over again, the movie really starts to drag and feels like a long one, after a short while.
But besides; it just isn't a very special movie to watch. Once you have seen one haunted house movie, you already know everything that is going to happen in this movie as well. The lack of true originality and creativity is disappointing and still the foremost reason why this movie never manages to become an interesting one. The story is progressing in a very predictable manner and you know exactly when something is going to happen and how. This obviously makes the movie very ineffective as a mystery, thriller and horror.
Another mistake is that this is one of those movies that features a little kid in it. Nothing wrong with that necessarily but it still is something that more often works bad for the movie instead of good, since child actors are not easy to work with in an horror movie and also often aren't the most convincing actors. However in this case I wouldn't really blame the young actress but more the script, that gives the little girl lines that no normal kid would ever say, especially not in those circumstances. I hate it when scriptwriters can't make kids sound and look like just ordinary kids. It makes some of the moments that happen in this movie seem all the more silly and unconvincing really.
Someone that comes across as far more convincing is Dina Meyer. I have actually always liked her as an actress and it's sort of too bad she never really had her big breakthrough, though it still might happen of course. She is not only the best actor in this, her character is also the only real convincing one. She mostly carries the movie and does this quite well.
Nothing good, original, scary, mysterious, entertaining, suspenseful or remotely creative to see here. Just move along, move along!
4/10
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