so-so summer horror

Rating: 5/10 (4 August 2013)

There are reasons to recommend this film: Lilly Taylor, Vera Farmiga, and Ron Livingston turn in strong performances, the rustic sets and rural locations are very atmospheric, and the realistic cinematography creates the creepy ambiance of seventies horror. In addition, the story has a couple of well-crafted scares. Still, the plot unfolds like an episode of A Haunting. It just doesn't feel big enough for a movie. One problem may be that the film never fully develops a single character's point of view. It seems unsure of whose story to tell, with its focus artlessly split between the desperate mom and the haunted psychic. As a result, the film does not delve all that deeply into its horror. If you are expecting a retro horror to rival seventies classics, such as The Exorcist, The Omen, or Phantasm, you will probably be disappointed. If you are looking for a boisterous summer horror flick, like the Amityville Horror or Poltergeist, you may be pleased. Me, I thought the film was okay but forgettable . . . perhaps a better fit for people who do not really like horror movies than for horror connoisseurs.