Not for all... but blew me away

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2009)

I heard about this movie through all the hype and so had my preconceptions elevated before viewing. Almost always this results in an underwhelming experience, but I have to say this turned out to be the most involved viewing of a horror film i have sat through in years.
I grew up in a big, old house and as a child with an exuberant imagination, was convinced that the bumps and strange occurrences at night were more than simply creaking floorboards, or the wind slamming doors shut. It was as riveting and exciting as it was scary, and I truly missed that childhood sensation as age brought with it rational thought and the knowledge that the truth was far less interesting.
This movie tapped into that primal, infantile fear with such vivid precision that I almost felt 10 years old again, with the same exhilaration and fear that I so thrived on as a child.
I really believe the experience will differ vastly between viewers. Some will have very little relation or interest to the hauntings (which is fair enough) and consequently become quickly bored with the slow pace and shallow character development. Others will join the i-wasn't-scared pissing contest and criticise it for not scaring them as it had others (i could also understand their frustration). Some who scare easily and actually believe in paranormal happenings may be scared sh*tless and not be able to sleep soundly for weeks. Others (like myself) will be swept away by a hugely atmospheric and brilliantly suspenseful fictional masterpiece where the scares themselves pre-exist in the viewers imagination and not in the film content itself.
SPOILER: That being said, the dragging-from-the-bed scene was truly horrifying and goes down for me as maybe the most enthralling scene in all of horror history.
Thank you to the director for an unforgettable ride.