SPOILERS* SPOILERS* SPOILERS*
I saw this movie today, and I liked it. It wasn't scary so much as it was disorienting- the odd bluish-grayish-greenish coloring of the backgrounds contrasted with the normal appearance of the actors and actresses, for example. I also liked the way it begins- a few strange happenings which, by themselves, were apparently harmless but which taken together indicated strange things were afoot. The film as a whole is actually a hybrid- part horror, part detective story.
The ending was good, too- the mother and her son having been spared because she made a copy of the video, thus helping the vengeful spirit of the child to "be heard," and yet with the implication that now they must show the video to others, who will in all likelihood become victims themselves.
The soundtrack was another plus- the tinkling, slow piano seemed almost wistful and sad.
One thing I hated: David Dorfman's portrayal of the son, Aidan. Rory Culkin already did this in "Signs" (a film I despise,) and Dorfman gives it to us again: yet another big eyed, nauseously precocious brat who talks like a grownup and possesses the secret knowledge of whatever is wrong. It's too bad a kid like this couldn't have gone to work for the Government years ago- he could probably have told us all about North Korea's nuclear weapons program before Kim Jong-Il approved it.
I saw this movie today, and I liked it. It wasn't scary so much as it was disorienting- the odd bluish-grayish-greenish coloring of the backgrounds contrasted with the normal appearance of the actors and actresses, for example. I also liked the way it begins- a few strange happenings which, by themselves, were apparently harmless but which taken together indicated strange things were afoot. The film as a whole is actually a hybrid- part horror, part detective story.
The ending was good, too- the mother and her son having been spared because she made a copy of the video, thus helping the vengeful spirit of the child to "be heard," and yet with the implication that now they must show the video to others, who will in all likelihood become victims themselves.
The soundtrack was another plus- the tinkling, slow piano seemed almost wistful and sad.
One thing I hated: David Dorfman's portrayal of the son, Aidan. Rory Culkin already did this in "Signs" (a film I despise,) and Dorfman gives it to us again: yet another big eyed, nauseously precocious brat who talks like a grownup and possesses the secret knowledge of whatever is wrong. It's too bad a kid like this couldn't have gone to work for the Government years ago- he could probably have told us all about North Korea's nuclear weapons program before Kim Jong-Il approved it.