Unsettling mojo

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 1999)

I've an older brother who, when we were younger and shared a room, would NEVER profess to being scared at horror movies. When he'd shout in his sleep hours later, I knew better. I wonder how many like him were in the theatre with me last Friday night. I'm not proud -- the ending to this one had -- has -- me spooked.
I won't attempt to analyze why. Too much of that spoils the fun. It's not a perfect film. But suffice it to say that those involved in its creation have tapped into a set of sounds and images that trigger subconscious dread and terror in a large number of people (noises in the dark, being isolated and disoriented, a feeling of abandonment, etc.). And that's why it works, and still lingers in my head.
Now why can't people just play that angle? I can understand the approach taken by Artisan in its marketing campaign, but when unaffiliated critics start bandying about phrases like "scariest movie of the millennium," they're just drawing a line in the sand, and thinking too much in the short term. Instead of people debating the interpretations of the mythology, the discussion centers mainly on how one answers the "Was it scary for you?" question. And that's not enough of an intellectual challenge to keep a movie alive for too long.
I've wanted to see this movie since reading reports of it at Sundance. I knew from past disappointments to simply avoid reading the thousands of subsequent news stories on its imminent arrival to my cinema. I'm glad I did. It won't be the last time.
Turn off the news. Put down your newspaper. Tuck away that magazine. Veer away from that Web site.
Go see the movie. Then shout in your sleep.