Love the scares, hate the everything else

Rating: 4/10 (21 November 2013)

**SPOILERS AHEAD**
People say this is one of the best horror movies of the decade. If you're counting scare factors, absolutely, but if you're talking about a movie that will keep you engaged beginning to end, then hell. No.
First and foremost, I love horror and horror movies and I like a movie that SCARES me. This movie had some legitimate scares that didn't quite make me scream, but caused me to jump and made my heart to skip a couple beats. The few scenes that are predictable are given a little spice to make them unpredictable and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. The scares are the best parts of the movie, by far. Now, if you're looking for a movie with a good story, no. Just no. This went from being about two girls to being about a woman who wanted nothing to do with them, then about a ghost with Down Syndrome being humanized (seriously, she did have Down's). This is the generic story of a ghost who comes back because she wants her child, but takes a damn good turn in the middle and then U-turns back to the worst possible ending.
In the middle, there is a very, very cell-shaded flashback that takes you completely out of the movie. I mean, it's like a 70's blitzkrieg hit the screen. At one point, you get to see one douche (who runs away after releasing the Kraken in this woman's house) get destroyed by a ghost, which is fine, but later when they come to the scene of his death, the guy has disappeared (he also isn't referenced at all for the rest of the movie); something that doesn't happen to another character. There is also a scene where the ghost possesses someone in the famous "slowly walk up behind someone and turn them around and they have a scary face" scene. Later (back in the house, in the exact spot where the aforementioned man died), they try to pull off the exact same thing with the exact same character (but this time, she collapses in a heap of flesh). This possession scene is the only one in the movie, and contains no explanation as to why the ghost would choose to suddenly waste time by possessing this woman.
Sounds pretty okay, correct? Decent, give a 6, huh? Heck no. I was seriously laughing out loud the last 10 minutes of the movie. The ending of this movie is so bad. I honestly felt cheated. I spent a whole good part of that movie getting set up, enduring a bad plot, and getting to see some genuine horror, for this Twilight-teen-bullshit ending. To save the time: the ghost becomes human at one point, the main chick suddenly has the will of a titan and wants the kids that she hates, and it ends right before the credits with the happy "let's all hug at the edge of a cliff while the ghost dies again".
In summation: It's good to focus on scares over plot. I get that. But if you can't figure out a resolve and make a bad ending, it RUINS the movie. How could you leave the viewer with a sour taste in their mouth?
Plot: 5/10 for originality Scares: 9/10 for being classic Ending: -1/10 for not even trying
4.3/10