Genuinely scary movie that doesn't rely on cheap scares

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2014)

I find that horror movies are mostly not effective at scaring me. This was very different than traditional horrors that rely on either gore and blood or jump scares. This movie moreso relied on atmosphere and the creepy setting. Since most of the movie takes place in one house, the director uses many interesting shots and camera movements to keep the setting engaging. The actors all portray their characters effectively, with only Livingston looking out of place. This may be due to me only seeing him as his Office Space character forever. As with most horrors, I feel that the ending is a bit weak since we actually see the main villain directly. Regardless, this is an excellent horror movie that is better than another recent horror movie, Sinister, by not having the cheap jumpscares. Minor nitpicks would be that the doll never really scared me, and the beginning seems comedic and out of place with everything else. Also why have a museum of evil in a house with a young daughter?