This film received a high rating from me for many reasons, number one being its creativity. It takes many common themes found in stereotypical horror films and takes a new direction with them. This movie is also enhanced by the fact that it has been dramatically unadvertised and has a fairly B/C list cast. Even the description of the movie leaves much to be desired plot-wise, so your only option of getting more information is to go see it.
Pros- I found the camera use to have a positive effect on the film as there were many opportunities, shot-wise, for a scary pop-up moment. The director does not choose to take this opportunity all of the time, so it leaves the moments where it does happen to be more meaningful. The images in this movie tend to be extremely creepy and haunting, but they are also at times predictable (which was great for me, because then I knew when to turn away). I also liked that not all of the details of Dalton's condition were divulged too quickly. There was no dramatic irony of the audience knowing more than the characters, so it felt like we could become more involved in the story. They also added a few nice twists toward the ending involving Dalton's father, which I saw coming in some ways, but because of the director's insight to not over-inform the audience too soon, I was forced to wait until nearly the end to learn the key details that allowed me to understand what those twists were. It was a very smartly played out film.
Cons- Some of the things that caused this movie to slip from the star rating are its odd choice of make-up for the souls that wander in the Further; it looked a little like they had collectively decided to raid Cher's make-up case. It definitely enhanced the creepiness in ways, but also detracted from it when I realized they were ALL made up like that. I also enjoyed what my imagination conjured up after seeing only the demon's silhouette, so I was a little disappointed when they showed all of his features, which didn't match up with my expectations. Just showing the face could have worked, but showing the whole demon made him less scary, in my opinion. Sometimes less is more! I'd have to say the big reason for points being docked was some disjuncture in the plot. There was a bit of background information that was hinted at about why the family had to move, but never brought up again. There were also some moments that left the audience wondering why the story took a certain direction or mood briefly, that didn't quite make sense right away (the little leprechaun-type guy dancing, the "Tiptoe through the Tulips" song that was referenced twice). Although they eventually got resolved, it was left unattended for long enough to distract me.
Wrap up- Overall, a VERY good horror movie. It's definitely the first one in a long time where I straight up screamed aloud in the theater (along with others, so I'm not a total loser). It is unique, and succeeds in all the ways a good scary movie should.
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