Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (3 July 2003)

The only thing that I can charitably say about this film is, Thank god it isn't a comic book made into a movie. Although the acting is adequate, the script is wooden. I found myself wondering why a fine actor like John Cusack would star in something like this, but I guess it was a job. Although the film's story line doesn't lack imagination, it is simply not believable. For me to explain why would be to reveal the ending. Like so many movies today, this one pushes the idea that ghosts and paranormal phenomena are real and that we should believe in them. If this film is a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock (as one commenter suggests), then all I can say is the makers pay him poor tribute. Hitchcock always grounded his films in unflinching realism. That is why he was a master. He relied only on human motivation and psychology to underpin the behavior of his characters. Nevertheless, he succeeded in chilling us to the bone without invoking the supernatural, preternatural, or any other beyond-the-natural, hogwash.