Pretty Good

Rating: 8/10 (9 March 2013)

First of all, I just want to say that I'm glad I didn't know who directed this before I saw it (directed by the man behind the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still), and if I had known, I wouldn't have even given it a look.
However, I'm glad that I did see it, because this movie has a number of great aspects that have more or less disappeared in recent years regarding horror films. The best thing about the movie is the brilliant musical score. It is creepy, and captures the tone of the movie very well, exactly what a great horror film score should do (see Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street). I also liked the villain of the film. I won't say who (or what) he is, but he's somebody everybody has been scared of at some point in their childhood, and the film does a good job building him up.
Ethan Hawke does well in the main role, and James Ransone and Vincent D'Onofrio are good in their supporting roles. There are a few silly scenes, like when the ghost children are running around the house, and the last shot of the movie is very predictable, but overall the film does a very good job with its creepy atmosphere, good characters, and excellent score.