a few effective moments here and there but lacks a good payoff

Rating: Null/10 (25 June 2007)

Mike Enslin is an intelligent but cynical, faithless, self-righteous paranormal investigator and novelist who's made a living by traveling from place to place and disproving rumors and superstitions about ghosts, poltergeists, and specters. He decides to investigate an allegedly evil room at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City where numerous guests and hotel staff have been killed over the years, and for the first time confronts what he believes to be a genuine supernatural presence. Despite solid performances from Cusack and Jackson, and some truly spooky moments, this horror-thriller is only marginally effective; the setup is familiar, and the whole thing builds to an inexplicable and unsatisfying conclusion. Kudos to Cusack though for being an effective one-man show. **