Exceeded expectations.

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2008)

First off, let me say that this film is not at all reminiscent of Hitchcock, contrary to the opinion of several previous reviewers. While Hitch did do psychodramas, this is really more of a ghost story. Like other reviewers have said, the movie is very stylized and suspenseful, and above all, entertaining. I don't disagree that it is slow, but in this film, that is a virtue. It allows the viewer to get a real feel for the individual characters and the family/household dynamic- all of which are critical to the climax. It is difficult to give a thorough critique without giving too much away, but I must say that I did NOT see "it" coming- and I always appreciate it when a film can turn my perspective upside down. This is mostly a visual movie and I have a feeling it won't come across as brilliantly on a small screen, so if you're reading this and considering seeing the film, I strongly recommend seeing it in the theater. The use of light and space and camera angles is excellent, and I also appreciated the minimal use of background music- sometimes in a thriller/horror film, the score can become distracting or overpower the dialogue- NOT a problem here. I wouldn't be surprised if this film is nominated for several of the more obscure Oscar categories (the ones I normally wouldn't even notice) like Sound Editing and Cinematography. There are a few minor inconsistencies and anacronisms, but as a whole package, this film delivers. I've seen a lot of comparisons to "The Sixth Sense", but please don't let those shape your expectations of this movie. This is a very different, and in many ways, superior movie, because it relies even less on gore and shock and more on suspense and psychological drama.