It's not scary, it's just so freaking loud

Rating: 5/10 (16 March 2012)

I appreciated the setting, the dim colors in which the entire title is filmed, location, all other visuals—this is what makes up first half of any horror (well, any other, too), movie, so this is what gets it five stars in my review. Isolated estate that is accessible only when the sea is low, quiet town that is far away from any civilization, people that for sure have things to hide from strangers, this creates an excellent environment in which any twisted and horrifying plot can naturally unfold, so when you're watching the opening sequence, the hopes for an excellent thriller are way up. Well, as the story progresses, it's revealed to be just a bunch of clichés that are put together in a way that does not make any sense. It's like writers and director have clearly mistaken a bunch of trees for a forest. Scenes are scary in their own moment, and when it's passed, you're just sitting there and thinking, okay, now what? Another scene begins, and another loud sound is heard, or scary face is seen fading in from the dark, or sharply appearing from behind, and it's all repeating over and over again. Suspension is great, in first half of the movie, in later parts there is simply not enough time to build up the tension. Plot is also weak, as we're not given much insight preceding events, and this makes it very difficult to stay on the same page with protagonist, as you are completely clueless why they're rejecting him so aggressively right from the start (if they did not want him to come, they could just not accept any bookings in first place, and send papers to London by mail). All the work that is done at mansion is pointless, a bunch of papers is read, and a lot of effort is put in exhuming the dead boy, the said effort is fruitless, though, as it does not affect the faith of protagonist and his son—if he wanted to reunite with his dead wife so much, he might as well have killed himself without even going to that godforsaken place. The only excuse for all this action is that it maybe has made him to accept the fact that his family is going to be reunited after death, which is kind of alluded in the dialogue between him and Daily, but this looks too far fetched and way beyond the overall level of the film.