Eerie, beautiful and scary

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2013)

When the movie first came out I read mixed reviews about it; someone called it a cliché, dull and disappointing. The ratings on here were also not the greatest, so when I finally got around to see it, it wasn't with very high expectations.
I was very pleasantly surprised however. Yes, the plot and setting might be considered a bit cliché with the old haunted house and the dead mother seeking her lost child but this time I really didn't mind.
The setting is beautiful and the whole movie is eerie. There are plenty of creepy moments and the sightings of ghosts is constant throughout the story. The construction of the plot is very well done; no parts of the story seem too much, out of place or purposeless. Some scenes were extremely well thought in their simplicity. I found the scenes with the rocking chair exceptionally scary: the violent rocking left me with a feeling of horror. The grotesqueness of its movements leaves the impression that there could never be a human sitting in that chair, as most people would never dare rock it that hard in fear of tipping backwards. Another fantastic scene was when Radcliffe decides to look for the boy in the mud. Very original, very scary.
Daniel Radcliffe gives a masterful performance and shows a whole new side of his talent; especially when it comes to facial expressions of shock, horror and sadness (which is mostly all of the expressions this story requires).
All in all, I loved the movie and would definitely recommend it to anyone.