Sound Quality

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2002)

I enjoyed the film very much but it was spoiled, to a certain extent, by certain characters whispering. Nicole Kidman was very bad here and, at the end, I missed what she was saying to the children so I had to guess at the full outcome of the plot. Even by turning up the volume it was very difficult to hear - in fact I found the entire film quite lacking in volume, except for the screams of course. I watched this film on DVD but see no reason to believe that the cinema version would be any better.
All good horror films seem to have to be shot in low light and sometimes I find myself shouting 'Put the light on!' when the person (normally a young lady) is wandering about a house looking for intruders, ghosts etc. This film covered that very well by stating that the children were allergic to light so I had no need to shout in this case. My daughter (35 yrs old) will not watch this film by herself and I see why, as it gripped me very well. N.B. It was not a rifle that Nicole Kidman was carrying but a shotgun!