One of the best horror films I've seen in years!

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2011)

I rarely go to see horror films in the theaters anymore, mainly because 90% or more are complete garbage. They are only there to give a cheap scare, and feature bad acting, and awful scripts. This movie gives some cheap scares, but it also gives more than that. It features images that have been stuck in my brain. It's not all quick jump scenes, but instead, it also has scenes that scare without having a blast of music or a quick run across the screen. This is a film that wants to, and almost transcends the genre of typical horror fare, but kind of falls into a middle ground between trashy horror films and well thought out horror films. Either way, it is still one of the best horror films to come out in the last few years.
After their son falls into a mysterious coma, Josh and Renai Lambert begin seeing and hearing frightening things in their new house. They decide to move, and still, mysterious creatures inhabit the house. After calling in a psychic, they learn that their boy is a skilled astroprojector, and in his sleep, his soul traveled too far from his body, and was trapped by malevolent spirits. It's up to Josh to think back to his repressed childhood and astroproject himself to find his son in a horrifying place called "The Further".
This horror movie has something that most recent one's haven't, and that's likable lead characters that the audience actually cares about. Unlike typical "kill 'em off" horror flicks, this film develops it's leads enough for the audience to root for them, instead of rooting for their death. The writing wasn't too bad, and the decisions the characters make don't usually come off as completely idiotic. Often in horror films, the characters never seem to remember the scene before and stay in the house for another night, and while there is a little bit of idiocy going on here, the characters seem real for the most part and don't forget previous scenes of terror just to keep them conveniently in harm's way.
Horror is the genre here, so the question is, "Is this movie scary?" I would say it definitely is. The atmosphere is tense, and even when nothing is happening, and we aren't waiting for something to happen, things can be really creepy. A scene where Patrick Wilson is looking at drawings is enormously creepy, and never does a jump happen, or does the film make you believe one is coming. A few images here have stuck with me, and when they appeared in the film, they were both genuinely startling, and disturbing, where they stay with you much after the movie is over. And this film is consistently scary. Even the chaotic musical score was scary, and fairly memorable, and I haven't had the music in a horror film stick with me since maybe "The Sixth Sense".
Rottentomatoes has started writing sillier and less reflective summaries of their movies since they hooked up with Flixter, and this one is a great example of how much I disagree with them. They refer to the third act as shaky...I would actually say that was the most original and interesting part of the entire movie. The astroprojected world is an example of how this film transcends the typical horror movie. It's so creative, and understated at the same time. It's dark, and creepy, but also surreal and artistic, and the creativity of the third act makes this movie feel more like the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" or "Poltergeist" than say "One Missed Call". The dream world is dark and hard to see, but that only makes it all the more fascinating, and the whole trip to "The Further" is worth admission price alone. It's an original aspect of a not-so original, but nonetheless effective movie.
It was thrilling to see such a competently made and genuinely scary movie in this ever dwindling genre. I highly recommend this one, for a good and scary time at the movies, with a film that surely won't be soon forgotten like so many others of the genre.
My rating: *** out of ****. 100 mins. PG-13 for terror and violence, and language.