An atmospheric chiller

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2009)

It is nice that there are still horror films like this around, ones that rely on atmosphere and good acting rather than shocks and gore, not that there is anything wrong with that, it is just nice to have alternatives. Nicole Kidman plays Grace, the devout mother of two children, living in a large house on the island of Jersey shortly after the end of the German occupation. The film opens with three strangers coming to the door to work as servants, as Grace shows them around the house she explains certain strange rules the must keep, all doors must be locked after use and all the curtains must be kept closed, this is because her two children are so photosensitive that any sunlight would make them very ill or possibly kill them. Not long after this Grace's daughter Anne claims she has seen a boy called Victor in the house along with his family, Grace doesn't believe her initially but after a while grows to believe that the house may in fact be haunted.
There are few shocks in the film but an oppressive atmosphere is maintained by the darkened rooms in the house and the ever present fog outside, as the film progresses Grace seems to get more and more paranoid and irrational to the point where we are led to believe she might even harm the children. All the main actors perform well, especially Alakina Mann and James Bentley as the two young children. While I didn't find it as scary as some reviewers I'd still recommend it... just try to avoid spoilers before watching it.