Very Good

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2004)

I have to admit right up front that I had the "twist" ending figured out about 20 minutes into this film. That didn't stop me from enjoying it, however.
Bruce Willis is a child psychologist who has recently taken young and troubled Haley Joel Osment under his wing. It seems that young Haley can "see dead people." As Bruce's marriage slowly dissolves and Haley suffers from cruel ridicule inflicted by his classmates, the two form a bond and try to find a way for Haley to accept his lot and somehow turn his frightening experiences with the dead into positive ones.
There are more than enough frightening moments here, as Haley encounters the ghost of an angry, abused woman in his kitchen, a constantly vomiting little girl and a slave locked inside of a coal chute. There's also a great moment featuring Willis and a tape machine, when revelation strikes him with the force of a fist. All of these encounters are spooky, eerie and unsettling, but also highly satisfying, especially in the case of the poisoned child whose murder Haley solves. The film is quiet and sedate, even a little washed out, but highlighted with brilliant spots of red at climactic moments. It reminded me quite strongly of "The Ring" and its Japanese predecessor "Ringu" with its stark, cold landscapes and profound silences.
I was a tad disappointed that I couldn't be surprised along with everyone else at the twist ending, which indeed was quite a nice shock, but I still very much enjoyed this innovative ghost story.