Great Creepy First Hour Turns Formulaic

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2015)

Somehow I was unaware of this film, which apparently did okay at the box office in 2012, three years ago, and was amazed at how tense and creepy it was for the first hour or so. Ethan Hawke and even Fred Thompson, plus a literate script and fine performances had me totally involved. But then, it became rather repetitive, poorly lit, and increasingly hinting at a supernatural explanation. IMO the best horror films are based more on human evil, and less on ghosts, evil-spirits, ancient curses, or religious beliefs being substantiated. The set up was so good, I predicted the ending would be a letdown. Even though it did have a twist, it still was completely unbelievable, at least for me. Still, it was done so well, I gave it a generous 7 for keeping me interested and hopeful it would be a keeper, like "Uninvited", or "TCM". Worth seeing, but not repeatedly.