Dextrous Sinister

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2014)

Very effective haunted house story.
The soundtrack plays a big part, but without being obvious. The suspense is very strong, and I got to a point where I dreaded what was coming next - uncomfortable to watch. The acting was good throughout, and there are several good jump scares.
It takes about 40 mins to confirm the supernatural element - up to then it's a serial killer investigation. Then there's an element of the protagonist losing his mind, and eventually the spirits are revealed.
After that point some of the sinister element was lost, and I definitely could have done without Mr Boogie in the flesh - much better when he was a crude image in the background. If you judge a horror by the final effect, then this disappoints as the final scenes felt like a relief from the creepiness that went before.
A few other weaknesses. It's a little too long, should have come in under 100 mins. Second the son's night terrors don't tie into the plot, and he's almost forgotten after the first hour. Some reviewers couldn't get past the decision to stay in the house, and the constant darkness, but that was OK for me and created a claustrophobic atmosphere.