Don't let the creepy looking cover and an oddly intriguing if not exactly original idea for a story, have always found those to be interest points when watching a film regardless of budget, decade and genre (and along with talented casts and completest sake they also tend to be my main reasons for viewing something), deceive you. Always try to be a subjective person with every intent of being balanced and perceptive, but 'Clinton Road' has so little to recommend it and has no real appeal at all.
'Clinton Road's' only real redeeming merit is that it starts off decently. It was eerie, held my attention and at least it didn't make me want to stop continuing. That is an extremely rare occurance just to say, not finishing something that means, no matter the temptation. Also never judge a film without seeing the whole thing in order to be fair, and being someone who hates it when people brag about walking out or leaving a viewing unfinished.
Unfortunately, 'Clinton Road' takes a complete 180 nose-dive after a decent start and worsens rather than improves. There is nothing atmospheric about the way it looks with the paranormal aspects sticking out like a sore thumb in cheapness and the complete anti-thesis too of scary. The direction meanders all over the place visually, tonally and in creating any momentum.
The dialogue was very suggestive of the writers having written it in a rush with no enthusiasm, almost like they did it for a favour or something. That may not have been the case and no disrespect is intended but it came across that way. The story is tediously paced and can be uneventful, much of it doesn't make sense and very difficult to take it for what it tries to be. There is hardly anything tense or suspenseful and any attempts at anything creepy are predictable and unintentionally funny.
None of the characters engage and the acting is all round never more than bad and is often dreadful. The big names Eric Roberts (who has been churning in for a while now) and Ice-T (who has never really been much good outside of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit') phone in with pretty much nothing to work with. In my mind money was the reason as to why they got involved in the first place, and man must they have been desperate.
In conclusion, very, very bad apart from the start. 2/10
