Not What I was Expecting...

Rating: 7/10 (12 October 2012)

...but it was by no means bad. I have seen well over two hundred horror movies, so I have seen it all from the mild to grotesque. Perhaps I am a bit desensitized, but I was not the only person in the audience who walked away completely unshaken. This movie is not scary. It is, however, a very well done thriller. Do not go in expecting a horror movie, because you will be disappointed. However, be prepared to witness a well constructed story with some imagery that will stick with you for a while.
The main problem I had with this movie was that the villain - a demon named Bagul - was scary to look at but did little to nothing as far as violent action was concerned. He orchestrated everything, but I found him to be much less scary of a character because you didn't even really need to see him and the movie would have reached the same means to an end as it did. It is one thing to make a character look terrifying, but unless he or she follows through with actions that back up their appearance I feel like a lot is lost.
That being said, every one of the recorded murders were difficult to watch. Although a lot was implied (only showing blood in one case) there was enough to go on that you knew the families met a horrible demise. I do not want to give anything away, but the look of terror in one of the victim's faces on the lawn is not one I will soon forget. The visuals were very effective and the characters were all there, but for some reason I felt like it never "clicked."
I would highly recommend seeing it if you want to get in the Halloween spirit and feel uncomfortable for an evening, but if you want to watch a truly shocking movie I have a whole list of ones available on Netflix instant streaming that are a lot scarier.