First of all, don't expect a horror movie, this is more of a supernatural thriller with a creepy atmosphere.
I saw it on the release date, and it had already gotten pretty negative reviews. On top of that I don't expect a whole lot from Netflix movies, so I went in with very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.
The film is intriguing, it works on the drama and mystery level, and though I'm not easily scared, I would say that the few horror elements in the film are pretty well done. The acting is solid all around, and the direction is capable.
The thing is, and I'm guessing this is due to the fact that it's based on a book, the film tries to do too much. There are characters (Willis) and plot lines (Catherine's bulimia) that you imagine are important in the book, but fail to make the kind of impact on the film that they were clearly meant to. It's hard to go into detail without spoiling, but in short more emphasis on characters and main plot lines would have served the movie well. I have no doubt the source material is fantastic, but the movie could have done better if some of it had just been left in the book.
Which brings us to the two hour run-time, some would argue that it would have been better if it was shorter, I would argue the that the length is what makes the film (mostly) work in the end.
To sum up, a decent supernatural thriller, albeit with a bit too much going on.
I saw it on the release date, and it had already gotten pretty negative reviews. On top of that I don't expect a whole lot from Netflix movies, so I went in with very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.
The film is intriguing, it works on the drama and mystery level, and though I'm not easily scared, I would say that the few horror elements in the film are pretty well done. The acting is solid all around, and the direction is capable.
The thing is, and I'm guessing this is due to the fact that it's based on a book, the film tries to do too much. There are characters (Willis) and plot lines (Catherine's bulimia) that you imagine are important in the book, but fail to make the kind of impact on the film that they were clearly meant to. It's hard to go into detail without spoiling, but in short more emphasis on characters and main plot lines would have served the movie well. I have no doubt the source material is fantastic, but the movie could have done better if some of it had just been left in the book.
Which brings us to the two hour run-time, some would argue that it would have been better if it was shorter, I would argue the that the length is what makes the film (mostly) work in the end.
To sum up, a decent supernatural thriller, albeit with a bit too much going on.