Not even spoilt by spoiler

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2000)

Having heard so much about how amazing the twist in the tail of this film is, and having missed it at the cinema, I spent a good few months scrupulously avoiding all reviews, articles etc which might possibly have hinted at what was going to happen, only to have all my hard work undone just a few weeks before the video came out (damn you Daisy Donovan). In spite of this I watched the film trying my hardest not to think about what I'd heard (i.e. trying to figure out how it was going to work out every two minutes or so) and still it was an awesome, staggering surprise at the end. Perhaps shrewder people would have found it a little trite from this viewpoint, but I had been expecting a simple horror movie, lots of running about screaming being chased by evil monsters type thing. What you get in the end, though it does provide plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat and shudder-with-fear moments, was a profound, touching, moving story about love and loss, which left me, hardened cynical old movie buff, beaming like a crazy thing at having seen such a great film, and my wife in floods of tears. A truly wonderful film, all the better for its lack of razzmatazz, the downbeat, restrained feel running through the grey-faced performances of all its excellent stars, the use of colours, the music, every aspect perfect through and through. Maybe on reflection there are a few niggling points, maybe they should have built more on how the boy sorts out his problem with the dead people and his relationship with his mother, but as an overall cinematic experience it's very, very impressive.