Surprisingly entertaining, shocking twist ending

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2009)

In a world where horror movies have pushed the gore dial to 11, there is little that shocks and scares anymore. This film has scary in spades. Visually, of course, there are your standard creepy fare; large foreboding house, children that should have been named "ominous" and tension building soundtrack. The psychological thrill from this movie however, comes from the fact that the child actors performances are all 10s. This isn't a case of Star Wars: Episode I, far from it. Esther (played by Isabelle Fuhrman) is deeply engaging and complex. Of course we know the premise of the movie, she is evil! But rather than take the easy way out and use music and creative editing to hint at her intentions, the acting stands all on its own.
Some friends and I went to see a sneak preview yesterday and we were not expecting much. When we were an hour into the film, everyone in the theater was engaged with the plot. The script makes you feel for all the characters, even Esther. Each member of the family has some kind of vice that fits perfectly into the story, and getting the audience up to speed with the family's current problems was done effortlessly. And to round out all the frights, there's plenty of laughs to keep the mood from getting too dark.
All in all, a very well balanced, highly entertaining and unique film. You will be telling your friends about it for hours. 9/10