Worked on all levels for me

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 1999)

I was happy with this movie pretty much across the board. It worked as a scary/horror story (managing to be both frightening as well as disgusting, something that people often confuse). Although we don't get to see much of the story between Bruce Willis and his wife, it does have elements of romance. Lastly, it's a good mystery -- why the heck are these ghosts bothering this kid?
Personally, I didn't see the ending coming, and I loved it. I've talked to people who say "Oh, it was obvious", but all I can say is "Everything's obvious after it's been spelled out in front of you." As for complaints that major pieces of 'plot' weren't described (what does the mother do for a living, where's the father), I guess I looked at this movie as if it were a play in which the interaction between Bruce Willis and the boy was the focus, and other things were merely added where they contributed to that story. When I read Hamlet I don't ask myself what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were doing before the King summoned them, or whatever happened to Reynaldo. Those elements aren't vital to the story.