A welcome breath of fresh air...

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 1999)

For a change, this is a ghost story that does not rely on over-drawn special effects or excessive gore. What remains is a well-crafted script attached to a remarkable film. This movie is genuinely frightening, in ways that I haven't seen in years.
The plot is quite simple on the surface. Bruce Willis plays a troubled psychologist who has difficulty communicating with his wife. He takes on the case of a child who is frightened by something mysterious and who also resembles a case that went horribly wrong, resulting in a break-in and a shooting.
When the little boy tells Willis that he can see dead people, the movie becomes remarkably chilling. It is a sort of thrill ride without a hack-and-slash plot, leading up to a surprise climax that is worthy of written speculative fiction. All of the leads perform marvellously, and are truly convincing.
Perhaps the only flaw is that once the surprise twist has become known, several fairly large plot holes arise as one thinks back on the film. However, this is a remarkable enough film that they do not detract horribly from the experience.
Definitely worth seeing, and worth the money for admission. 4/5.