A surprisingly good and scary cliché

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2014)

I didn't expect much of this film. I had never before seen Daniel Radcliffe play any other character than Harry Potter, and a story about an old, haunted mansion sounded very clichéd and used. I was to be pleasantly surprised.
The film itself was indeed full on clichés including an angry ghost seeking for revenge, ghostly children and a haunted house. The plot was well-constructed, though, which expertly built up tension throughout the whole film. I'm not usually easily scared when I watch horror films, but I watched this alone in the night and I have to admit I was chewing my nails in an excited burst of terror when Radcliffe's character was alone in the mansion with all the dead children outside. Maybe it's not that scary during the day, but it certainly gave me the chills in a pitch-dark room! I also have to applaud the acting. Daniel Radcliffe nailed the role of Arthur Kipps in my opinion, and the rest of the cast did a very nice job as well.
The film does have its flaws and many clichés, but it is a nice break from all the blood and guts we see in horror films nowadays. It's not a masterpiece but definitely worth watching.