deadly pace

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2002)

The key to a good ghost story is in the telling. The pace has to be just right  not so leisurely that the audience loses interest, but not so fast that the intriguing details are lost. There is a good, spooky story in this film, but the film takes too long to get to the resolution. The performances are very good (Kidman is plausibly mad), and there are some legitimate shocks; there is zero reliance on bloody special effects. Unfortunately, by the time all is revealed, I was just bored. This would have made an engrossing 30 minute Twilight Zone episode.