Hush, hush... just listen to the Living Dead!

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2001)

I see dead people? Yes, I did; No, I didn't! Indeed, this movie is incredibly spooky. Two thumbs up for Alejandro Amenabar. He has crafted a great script to direct on screen. This is a great thriller that combines intelligence with fear in an incredible cinematic style. Everything about this movie has a haunting, yet elegant, quality. No cheap shocker, insulting joke, or crudity to make this thriller a success. Neither a male doppelganger nor a chick flick! Simply a schematic flick filled with eeriness! And I love it. And it's confronting the very dark side of human nature in the midst of frustration and insecurities. The cast of talented actors allows each of their roles to intertwine perfectly with each other to build up the suspense and creeps. Refreshing! In a sense, this is `The Haunting' cradled with the Hitchcockian terror and apparitions and it has the usual cool, icy blonde! No kidding! Nicole Kidman has performed well to sustain the viewer's mind consistently on a wild goose chase! She wrangles up beauty, charm and spirit and angst. But her hoity-toity and condescending Grace character sends chill right down my spine. Fionnula Flanagan's performance is equally phenomenal. Troubled relationships, anger, mistrust, deceit, spirituality and mood-swings to add to the intense drama within the confinement of an isolated and austere mansion! It's simply impossible to allow any of the characters to slip out of one's sight. Watch them carefully and they become very part of your being! Even the Vals Opus background score supports a sense of mystery and hidden violence.