Monstrous

A 1950s mom gets away with her son to a remote rented house, but something sinister keeps emerging from the pond out back.

Psychic trip, not a real horror, but done with great style in the cinematography and set dressing, and a gorgeous soundtrack of period tunes.

The lead performance is spot on, with a willingness to please barely concealing a wire-taut inner conflict. From the start it's clear we're in a subconscious world elaborately maintained in technicolor dresses and bob hairstyles, shadowed by subtle undertones in the score to generate a sense of the uncanny. The pace does drag a little, I think because the viewer has no relief in the constant look-out for clues to the mystery. Although the scenes are nice and crisp, the editing smooth, at no point did I lose myself in the events.

At the heart of the story is the return of repressed emotion, but perhaps the writer mistook her starting point: it's not the event in the pool, but the reaction to that event - in other words, why is the process so difficult for this particular woman? Perhaps the line about fault needed a rethink, with something more troubled lurking behind.

Overall: Domesticated uncanny.

My wish is really simple - I would have preferred if the producers had decided to go for a simple horror movie. The "twist" of the story is no twist, because it is far to obvious right from the beginning. On the pro side there is solid acting (nice to watch Christina Ricci) and production. A missed opportunity.

Reading all the comments you will see so much of how the.twist is not origional or surprising. I knew where it was going as well, but I truly enjoyed the journey getting there. This movie is a beautiful look at mental health. The cinematography is outstanding. The camera showed you the hole in the story. Also the set and costumes were so beautifully done that it all added to the overall feeling of the work as a piece. Christinna Ricci absolutely did not fail to deliver. I will be watching this one again to see the things I missed. After that I'll probably watch it a dozen more times just to enjoy it. This is one I will be adding to my collection of films I watch repeatedly.

I believe most of the poor review is because the person expecting to see a horror but instead it is a psychological thriller. The acting is good, the story isn't very original but hey, it is hard to come by with an original ideas these day so it is just mediocre. Overall, me and my wife did enjoy this.

Somehow slow, somehow ok, but in the end a very disappointing movie. Miss Ricci is doing her best, but it doesn't help the movie to be more watchable. Not a stinker, but not average either.