A good rental, but not much replay value.

Rating: 5/10 (8 May 2004)

There is a certain amount of "evolutionary baggage" inherent in human nature. We as humans all have "buttons", that when pushed just right can evoke a strong emotional response. Stephen King has referred to these as "psychic pressure points". Examples: fear of the dark. Fear of being lost in the wilderness while being stalked by unseen enemies. Fear of the supernatural. Fear of old abandoned dwellings. This film deftly presses on these pressure points, and the result is a fairly frightening movie. The amateurish cast adds a bit of realism to the story, and is the reason for the big box office draw. The cadence of the story lacks consistency, but the last 5-10 minutes will have any but the most jaded horror fans on the end of their seats. Sadly, though, once you've seen it once, you can never quite regain the feeling of white-knuckled suspense you had the first time you saw it.