Presencia siniestra

Clinical psychologist Mary Portman lives with her paralyzed stepson Stephen and a recent accident killed her husband. Mary treats a deaf boy named Tom and one night he entered her home and just disappears from their. She starts to hear noises and she should find tom before the ice storm kills Tom. An empty thriller with a few lazy jumps- scares. The casting was good and Both Watts & Platt give their best shot. Clangs did his best on the soundtrack to create tension where none exists. Overall, it's a total waste of time.

There have been many movies like Shut In before. In fact, I'd argue far too many.

Grisly opening, followed by a quieter first act, then a few hints at something something spooky, then comes THE TWIST.

After we've finished picking our jaws from the floor (yeah right), the movie then concludes in one of those pointlessly elongated chase sequences which would be over much sooner if anyone here had any common sense whatsoever.

A disabled kid's life is in danger, the bad guy hams it up like his life depended on it, and Naomi Watts...

Poor lamb. She deserves much better than this reheated tripe, that's for sure.

But she signed the contract, cashed the cheque and turned up on time to each days shoot... so my sympathy can only go so far.

Oh well. Avoid avoid avoid. 4/10

I like Naomi Watts a lot but boy does she really need to pick and carefully choose what she wants to be in. I thought she was really fantastic in Mulholland Drive (probably my favorite film of all time). She's also been in a number of great memorable performances. i fact, shes even been in good horror in the past. Years later she's in a really awful "horror" film that doesn't offer any thrills or chills but rather just insists on wasting your time.

This film is about a psychologist, played by Watts, following a car accident that killed her husband and left her son paralyzed (played by Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton). She starts to think that someone is inside her house trying to harm her. Who could it be though? Her son is paralyzed and immobile? The plot doesn't even sound interesting and there really isn't anything in the film that you could actually enjoy. The film is devoid of any actual chills, the scenes meant to make you jump are set up in a way that is so manufactured over the years, where you know exactly what to expect.

The film just kind of throws characters into the mix and you are left wondering what purpose they really serve? Poor Jacob Tremblay, going from a wonderful performance in Room, to being thrown into something like this. The twist ending is so awful. Its half expected but doesn't bother offering any consolation for wasting your time. There's honestly too much going on in this film, its too busy with people and trying too hard to deliver a substantial story but it comes off really uninspired, tired, and boring. The twist also offers some really weird awkward moments too.

Check this out if you want but there's really nothing to see here. Shut yourself out.

4/10

... from EuropaCorp and director Farren Blackburn. Naomi Watts stars as a child psychologist working out of her home in snowy, remote Maine. She stays close to home to care for her teenage son (Charlie Heaton) who has been left in a vegetative state for the last six months since a car accident that also killed his father. Watts has grown weary of the burden, and has decided to move her son into a care facility, but she also has to deal with another patient, a mute boy (Jacob Tremblay), who has gone missing. As her mental state continues to deteriorate, things take a shocking turn when a massive blizzard hits, leaving her even more isolated.

Watts is a good actress, and she brings what little is good here. The "twist" should be obvious to even the dullest of viewers, and the final portion of the movie devolves into suspense film cliche. .

Shut In is a rather predictable thriller that treads a well worn path.

That's not to say this is a poor film, its just that this concept has been recycled so many times, its become rather obvious whats happening and where its going.

Naomi Watts hands in a decent effort in the lead role and indeed, the cast in general hand in competent performances. The tension builds nicely but I felt, the reveal was too sudden and robbed the film of much of the scare factor that had been built up to that point.

The actions of the key character also seem a bit absurd at times as does the overall concept, which stretches credulity to a degree.

In short, not a bad film if you like a few scares but regrettably nothing terribly special either. Six out of ten from me.