Effectively scary but overrated film.

Rating: 6/10 (15 September 1999)

While I admit that the suspense scenes had me covering my eyes, I was disappointed with this movie as a whole. The script was corny and overwrought and other than Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette (the actors portraying the little boy and his mother) I felt the acting was stilted and uncompelling. This movie has uneven, and, at times, frustratingly slow pacing. Some of the plot points are ridiculously pat (and obvious) and I didn't find the ending to be terribly surprising (or satisfying). There are other films with similar last-minute twists that are much more effective... see Jacob's Ladder, The Seventh Sign, and the one that I think inspired them all, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," based on the Ambrose Bierce story. I can only guess that the popularity of this movie is due to the performance of Osment, who is really excellent--he is the highlight of this overrated film.