understated and scary

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2015)

This movie could have easily gone off the slippery slope of too much blood and gore, seeing that the subject matter involves the mass murder of families over several decades. Fortunately, it uses several moments of shock value that are shared with the audience as the main character Ellison gradually discovers what is haunting him and his family.
The script and direction give broad license for the enormous talents of Ethan Hawke to be put on display, especially in his nonverbal expressions of fear and uncertainty. My only complaint is that the end of the movie (which requires the spoiler alert), too easily spoon feeds the audience in explaining the evil deeds of the ghostly children. Giving the viewer the "aha" moment could have been explained in one scene instead of several. But that is a minor point in an otherwise well executed, chilling movie.