All-round great thriller/horror but a bit derivative

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2010)

You've probably seen at least a couple of "evil children" movies before so this one won't offer you much that is new or unique. With a running time of two hours, it also could have been a little shorter but the pacing and suspense will keep you engaged. What places this well-above the standard thriller is the acting, character development and the unusual ending. I'll be honest, I wanted to scream like a little girl (no pun intended) when I realised the twisted secret.
The movie opens with a nightmarish scene, which (in hindsight) seemed a little out of place. This isn't a "horror" film, it's more of a psychological thriller with a lot of great drama and humour thrown in. The latter seems unintentional at times but adds a layer of complexity to the film because it makes the horrific scenes more disturbing, and complements the maniacal orphan character perfectly.
The storyline is pretty straightforward. A woman (Kate Coleman) loses a child due to a miscarriage and, after years of guilt and torment, she and her husband (John) decide to adopt a girl. The orphan, Esther, is a shy but intelligent Russian girl with a real talent for painting but a mysterious past. There's also a sinister undercurrent to Kate's idyllic home-life as we soon learn that she was an alcoholic and this may have been the cause of her miscarriage. Her husband, John, is no saint either as we find out that he was unfaithful to her. Her daughter had always wanted a sister and immediately latches onto Esther but her son is apprehensive about the new girl. She dresses funny and seems cold and methodical.
The last half hour of this movie really ratchets up the tension and the scene where John is lying on the sofa after getting drunk on wine, still makes me uneasy. I think guys will be more unnerved by this scene than girls.
Just thinking of it again... Oh God, it's so creepy. There is no other word for it. Creepy.
Watch it on a Friday night with friends and you won't be disappointed.