A chilling tale with a memorable performance by the kid

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2010)

An American couple in their 30s, who can't get over the tragedy of losing their third child, go ahead & adopt a nine-year old Russian girl, Esther to make up for the void in their lives. In all outward appearances, Esther is a silent, well behaved, responsible, kind & sweet & pretty much the kind of child you would like to have in your life.
This is one of the very best 'evil child' films I have seen. Isabelle Fuhrman, who plays Esther, is brilliant with her malevolent characterization as is Aryana Engineer who plays the part of Maxiene. Kate and John Coleman (Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) have given a high calibre performance here. Daniel (Jimmy Bennet) plays their son.
Let me be clear, I thought this was going to be a ghost horror film. I never saw that coming. It was a complete shock to me. I haven't been that scared or shocked in quite a while, so this film completely delivers in all aspects. The layers of the story is peeled one by one as the story unfolds by director Jaume Collet-Serra. Although everybody's performances were very good, none stands out long after you have watched this, except Isabelle Fuhrman. This girl delivers a powerhouse performance that will have you scared for quite a while. The other actors only feel like props in front of this girl's brilliance. Aryana who plays the deaf child, Maxiene is also brilliant. The anti-adoption feeling this movie gives you after you have watched it is the only drawback, & it shows it delivers where it wanted to..:) Of course, without all the drama, it wouldn't have impacted this much, so don't watch this expecting a bloodfest. This is a thriller which delivers horror.
Watch it, you definitely won't regret it. This is truly a gift to the horror genre.
9/10
-Girish, 20