Who Said That There Are No Good Horror Film Directors Out There?

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2013)

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant horror film, with an ending that will send shivers down your spine. Even a hardened horror film fan like myself, I am having second thoughts about seeing this movie again.
Why? Because its so god-damn scary. I feel that if I watch it again, I will be like doing something forbidden: like Devil-worshiping. If you have seen that James Wan film Dead Silence, you know what happens at the very end of the film. This film is even scarier than Dead Silence, The Grudge and The Ring Combined.
I might be even bold to say that this film is even better than The Exorcist. Because in The Exorcist, the evil is manifest and seen by all. Here the evil is so hidden, you have to be clever even to find it at all.
Brief plot of film: The film opens with Super 8 footage depicting a family of four standing beneath a tree with hoods over their heads and nooses around their necks. An unseen figure saws through a limb acting as a counterweight, causing them all to be strangled. Months later, washed-up true crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) moves into the murdered family's home with his wife, Tracy (Juliet Rylance), and their two children Ashley (Clare Foley) and Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario). Ellison intends to use the murders as the basis for his new book, and hopes that his research will turn up the fate of the family's fifth member, a little girl named Stephanie who disappeared following the murders.
Verdict: Engrossing horror film which will keep you glued to your seat. You may also want to see it again, so it would be a good idea to buy the DVD/BLU-RAY. Seasoned director Scott Derrickson who also directed The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Hellraiser: Inferno, does the best direction of his career.
Veteran music director Christopher Young needs no introduction. With hits in his bag like Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, The Fly II, Hider In The House, The Dark Half, Copycat and Virtuosity, you expect class background music.
The only notable star in the film Ethan Hawke, does a professional job and does not overact.
Watch the film to find out what happens next!
Other horror films to watch: Apartment 143, Red Lights, Cabin In The Woods, Chained, Possession, The Factory(John Cusack).