Sad and beautiful, clever and sober

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2002)

Is this movie really an horror film ? Obviously yes, as it is often chilling, and full of very classical elements from very classical horror films (ghosts, frightened children, haunted house lost in mist...)
But it is much more sober, less silly (and bloody) than most of the so-called "horror movies" - perhaps because, actually, it's a genuine psychological drama, at the same time striking, beautiful, sorrowful, with unforgettable atmosphere and plot. For that reason it may recall more "Rebecca" than "Shining" (another fantastic familial drama)
No spoiling here, I'd only like to say that the surprises of the script are much less artificial and sheerly mechanical as in most movies with "coups de théâtre", because they finally give a totally different approach to the psychology and the attitudes of the characters.
Eventually, I recommend this beautiful movie to all the people who enjoy suspenseful films, with surprising, clever plots and some genuine human depth ... and with, as only special effects, Kidman's anguished face, whose beautiful expressivity here is simply unforgettable !