Great Horror Flick - May Contain Spoiler

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2008)

This compelling, fast-paced story is full of believable characters -- which is, of course, the important thing. Who cares about the circumstances if the characters are poorly crafted? It manages to create a good amount of suspense with a VERY creepy (a la Alien) environment. The movie might affect you negatively if like eating shellfish or squid, or are arachnophobic -- but apart from that, it's good clean fun. Most stunning, perhaps, is that it is still possible to be shocked at how twisted Stephen King's mind is -- especially when you get a load of the ending. You kind of sense the absolute futility of the hero's last determination before it happens, but that doesn't stop the effect of his last act from hitting like a ton of bricks. This was a full-on screamer to watch, and great for a solid sense of relief and release after a week of work staring into a computer screen crafting careful sentences. Great performances by all the actors, too - a real ID with the reactions to the Marcia Gay Harden character.
The only sore/sour note is the clumsy attempt at creating a racist-oriented humor directed toward the Andre Braugher character. When Drayton et al can't convince him to stay inside because giant squid-monsters dragged Norm outside and ate him, they try to entice him to stay by offering him barbecued chicken. It wasn't funny and it was in poor taste. Also the script has Braugher calling the white guys "hicks!" at the top of his lungs, which seemed off. It just didn't work. A minor part of the movie, but seemed weird and awkward. Better to leave race alone if you're not going to be clear about it.