A terrible disappointment from M. Overrated Shyamalan.

Rating: 4/10 (19 February 2005)

A highly disappointing effort by America's most overrated filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan.
Set in a sombre 19th century village, the dialogue is ridiculous and unintentionally hilarious. (eg: in this town you'd say "It is with your person that I must converse" instead of "I need to speak with you" etc.) All the clichés are there in the open, from the village retard to the mysterious blind girl (who incidentally can walk and run faster and straighter than anyone else and always seems to knows who's in the room with her, etc.).
Once you get past everyone trudging around the grimy little town speaking their ridiculous, badly scripted lines, you then sit and wait for the scary moments. And you wait. And you wait.
Oh, and yes. This being a Shyamalan film, you're guaranteed of two things:
1. Shyamalan will make a cameo appearance. And once again, his acting skills will prove to be utterly horrific.
2. Yes, there will be a twist.
At first, I was impressed with the twist. But when it's over, you end up feeling really cheated. Like you were dragged through the mud for nothing.
This film aims for a spooky, chilling feel. And it could have been so much more. Strange creatures lurking in a dark, misty forest? That's a scary enough thought, and it could have made for a really spooky film. But with the horrible scriptwriting, the terrible dialogue and ridiculous twist, it ends up as a wasted exercise.