One of the best horror/suspense movies in the last 10 years.

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 2014)

First, like a good mystery, all the clues are there and remain consistent. It was great that every time we found ourselves asking questions, the characters on screen would be asking the same questions, so you never feel like your watching a bunch of idiots stumbling toward their own demise.
Second, the characters never do or say anything that I couldn't see myself doing or saying were I in the same situation. This made the characters extremely relatable, and I found myself really caring whether or not they were going to survive. This serves to really jack up the tension and suspense in scenes where, otherwise, not a lot is going on. More importantly, none of the characters do anything that is just flat out stupid. There's no going unarmed into a place where the killer is obviously waiting. No needlessly tripping over flat ground while fleeing whatever's after them. The movie goes to great pains to portray realistic people caught in a stressful situation. Ethan Hawke's performance is not just believable, but compelling, as is the performances of the rest of the cast. Even the side characters aren't simply 2 dimensional cookie cutter archetypes, even though they may appear to be at first.
Third, if you're looking for a gore filled blood-fest, this is not the movie for you. Most of the jump scares are in the trailer. Still, when you get to those moments in the movie, the combination of being invested in the characters, the subtle atmospheric cinematography, and superior storytelling still get you despite you knowing what's coming. The movie doesn't rely on false scares or other gimmicks to raise you're heart rate. Nor does it rely on a primal reaction to gore. The worst of the murders are never shown in graphic detail. Instead, Scott Derrickson chooses to focus on the Ellison Oswalt's, the main character's, reaction to what he's seeing. The violence is implied by Ethan Hawke's excellent performance, and frankly much more visceral than watching gushers of fake blood on screen.
All in all, I highly recommend this movie, both for horror buffs and casual horror fans. If you like atmospheric suspenseful movies, this one will leave you felling satisfied.