A harrowing indictment of religion

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2008)

Excellent.
I had no idea this was the same director of the Shawshank Redemption, and the Green Mile.
I almost avoided renting this DVD because it was 'a rental store exclusive' which to my mind seemed to impute box office or critical failure.
Had it not been a Stephen King book adaptation, starred Thomas Jane, and been lauded by Richard Roeper, and Pete Hammond - I would not have given it a second glance due to it's lack of critical acclaim.
I can only conclude that the lack of critical acclaim is due in no small measure to its indictment of religion as a form of mental calcification. Why else? The acting was sterling. The monsters no less than macabre. The story singular with only a slight nod to the Silent Hill series.
Why this film is important: It shines an caustic light onto the religious bias of an overwhelming number of film critics. I now know which film critics to avoid in the future when researching how to spend my last 350,640 hours.