First off let me say this, I'm not an overly picky person who finds it fun to trash movies by griping and complaining about every little thing. I*wanted* to like this movie because I thought the premise was intriguing and I believe that Jodi Lyn O'Keefe has some real talent, but how could I? This movie is supposed to be a thriller complete with a shocking ending, but a confusing plot, poor acting and weak direction remove any possibility that we might become invested enough to *be* thrilled or shocked. There are no likable characters for us to really care about, and that alone would be enough to ruin this movie, but far more than that contribute to this disaster. The plot is convoluted and confusing with too many ghostly apparitions that we aren't sure are ghosts or just figments of the lead character's twisted imagination.
To be fair, the story does have some potential and fits right in with the recent crop of horror thrillers e.g., The Secret Window, Skeleton Key and Hide and Seek. I *wanted* to like this movie because I thought the premise was intriguing and I believe that Jodi Lyn O'Keefe has some real talent, but how could I? This film though squanders any impact the story may have because it can't decide whether it is a ghost story, a supernatural horror flick or psychological thriller. Because the director cannot decide everything is too loose so there is no tension, which is essential for a thriller or a horror movie. The acting is poor because the writing is poor and the actors can't seem to get a handle on who their character is and why they are acting the way they do.
The story is supposed to be about William Baldwin's character Will Taylor trying to cure his mentally ill sister Kylie Taylor played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. After the death of their father, Will takes his sister to their ancestral home (that has been in the family for at least four generations) supposedly to confront her with the past and free her from fears and delusions she has about what did or did not happen when she was a child. It sounds ridiculous just writing it here and it is twice as absurd as portrayed in the movie. He takes her off all her medications, isolates her in a very creepy place and basically harasses her into a state of total hysteria. How this is a prescription for Kylie getting "better" boggles the mind. Lastly, William Baldwin god bless his soul simply cannot sell the audience on being any kind of believable psychologist or doctor who could really help Kylie.
As the movie progresses instead of the plot getting clearer and the action becoming more taut, things get more confounding. Important characters are introduced very late in the movie, which adds to the confusion. As the denouement nears, the editing becomes even more careless which drains any suspense that some events are creating. It is only in the last five minutes that the director decides where this movie is going and we aren't utterly confused about what is happening. Even then though we are left scratching our heads as to what really occurred, because it simply doesn't make much sense.
If this film had a more competent director armed with a tighter, *comprehensible* script and possibly a couple of better actors this movie might have been good, but that is a lot of "ifs" & "ands". Instead, what we are left with is a muddled, confusing mess that simply doesn't work. If you want to know how *not* to make a thriller... watch this movie, but if you actually want thrills with your thriller this isn't the film for you.
