The boogie-man is more scary than this movie.

Rating: 2/10 (30 July 2004)

This movie had potential. A lot of it. Unfortunately, all the building in the first twenty minutes leads to... a dramatic... nothing.
This movie is really a predictable love story with two very predictable scary moments. Every other "tense" moment -- and the eons between them -- would be perfect fodder for Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. As the girl next to me screamed at the "scary" monsters, I couldn't help but laugh. (I hope Ann Roth can get some reuse value on her monster costumes -- they would be kinda cool Halloween costume rentals for a college party.)
*** BEGIN SPOILER REVIEW ***
The evil monsters are revealed for their true colors way to early, and the voice overs from previous scenes only insult the viewers who are always one step ahead of the story.
Suffice it to say that this 1700s New England settlement is not what it appears. Unfortunately, the mystery is not preserved very long and there are not enough twists in the story. As the heroine seeks to embark on a mission to save the life of her husband-to-be, the outcome is too obviously foreshadowed by means of revealing the settlement's dirty secrets. Viewer confusion sets in as this foreshadowing begins to appear in flashbacks. (Yes, the past is in the future is in the past... got that?)
Thankfully, normal time flow soon resumes, but all pretense of scariness has been eliminated for the remaining fifty minutes of the film. The film's finale is straightforward and lacks any remote attempt at playing with the viewers' minds.
In the final scene, as the girl returns from her mission, the only question remaining is whether her efforts would actually save her fiancé. We'll never know, because the scene fades to black and the credits roll (with cheesy stage bill titles) before we learn the outcome of her (and our) lackluster journey.
Basically, by the time you are thirty minutes into the film, you will believe you know the ending... and you'll be exactly right.
I can think of more exciting ways to burn six dollars... light them up with a match. Better yet, rent a couple MST3k flicks from the local video store and enjoy them with friends in the comfort of home!
(By the way, the damp mood of this film was in no way enhanced by Showplace 7's poor theater conditions... the A/C was running on low and one could cut the humidity with a butter knife.)