stilted attempted to be a "deep" horror film

Rating: 2/10 (13 May 2008)

Hard to believe this is the same director who gave us Shawshank! I wish Darabont had just tried to entertain/scare us, instead of trying to add depth to this horror film. The characters are all paper-thin walking clichés, but not for lack of trying to make something more out of them  trying much too hard. Most of them talk like they are trying to make a philosophical point to the audience.
Much of the action of the film concerns their shocking degeneration under pressure, and this is one of the main complaints about the film I've read in other comments: people don't think that's realistic. But that's not the problem.
Here in Vancouver in 2006ish, we had a "boil water advisory," and ACTUAL FIST FIGHTS broke out at local stores over bottled water. Fist fights! There was no actual water shortage mind you ... we were just supposed to boil before drinking it. But people actually attacked each other. For real. Welcome to the human race. We really DO get violently bonkers under pressure.
So the crazy human behaviour wasn't really the problem with the film. But the plausible psychology doesn't forgive clumsy, irritating dialogue, plus several other problems:
* Generally goofy-lookin' monsters. Too rubbery! Can't we do better than that these days?
* Inconsistent monster powers! Monsters that can rip some poor guy's chest off ... but then a moment later can hold 'em off with a broomstick!
* Giant spiders? Really? Arg. It's been years since I read it, but I could pretty much swear that there were NOT giant spiders in the novella.
* The old monsters coming out of the body cliché is irritating enough in any movie that isn't Alien(s), but this film did NOT need to do that, and actually went out of its WAY to do it. Groan.
* Completely irrational "don't go in there" character choices.
Etc. Just a bunch of stereotypical lame horror movie stuff ... with a failed attempt to be deep and meaningful spread all over it.