Beneath

I have to say that I didn't expect much from this film when I rented it today, but I was really surprised by it.

Although the film's story is quite a cliché as is suggested by the back of the DVD case, in my opinion it's done surprisingly good. A pretty conclusive story, except perhaps for the start of it all, not too bad acting and a nice music score form into a decent mystery thriller. I liked how the heroine actually investigates quite a bit throughout the movie instead of just getting the conclusions laid out for her in front of her eyes. Additionally the film doesn't use too many flashy, cheap shock moments and successfully tries to depend more on the mystery itself. And, contrary to the cliché, the heroine doesn't behave exceptionally stupid all the time.

On the downside you won't have many surprises coming in the story if you've seen at least a few mystery thrillers. The ending actually managed to satisfy me, a feat rarely achieved by that genre of movies.

If you like mystery thrillers and always thought that those loud, noisy "in your face" shock moments are overused you should try this movie.

Safe MTV produced chiller that finds Nora Zehetner haunted by images linked to the horrific death of her elder sister when she was a little girl. The frustrating thing is that the picture is book ended by great horror sequences, in fact the finale is one of the best that horror offered up in 2007 if judged on rug pull and macabre terms, if only the whole middle section didn't meander along without thoughtful scares or adherence to screw tightening genre requirements.

The set up is pretty good, it's a classic spooky house scenario with secret passages and rooms you wouldn't want to be alone in. The inhabitants of the house feature a suspicious but angelic little girl, and a Mrs. Danvers scary woman type. Director Dagen Merrill does his best to bring the frights, but he's heavy handed in execution, while the cheapness of the production unfortunately stands out a mile. That said, there's enough here to warrant interest if stuck for a spooky thriller to watch on a cold night in by the fire. Certainly the finale is worth time spent with the weak middle section. 6/10

I wasn't expecting much, but this movie actually delivered the goods! In this day and age of "torture porn", it was nice to be able to watch a horror movie that actually had suspense, mystery, and and a plot line. Gorehounds, this movie is not for you. But if you enjoy horror mixed with mystery, suspense, and heartbreaking drama, this movie is for you.

Pros: Nora Zehetner, "Eden" from "Heroes" really shines in this movie. The rest of the cast is fine, particularly Jessica Amlee as "Amy" and Gabrielle Rose as the mean "Mrs. Locke". This movie has a mystery - not a body count. The score is haunting. The make-up effects are incredible.

Cons: The movie could have benefited from better cinematography. You rarely see horror movies shot so brightly nowadays. The camera captures everything you need to see, but it is done in an almost matter-of-fact manner with no flair.

I expected a bit much, since I made the mistake to read the "Diamond among pearls" comment. Back to reality: the acting is mediocre towards bad, the story is boring and the scary stuff is just a girl having weird visions. The fact that overall it makes sense is a plus, especially for the "psychically sensitive girl that no one believes" subtype of the horror genre.

Bottom line: this is more of a psychic thriller and not a horror movie. The last part, while it conveniently ties all the loose ends, is way too convenient, more of a moral compromise that breaks the slightly better feel of the story coming to a quasi-logical finale. I can easily imagine all the actors playing in a third rate soap opera, so don't expect a lot better acting that that.

When I saw this was an MTV films production I almost put it back on the shelf immediately - but reading the back of the case made me want to give it a chance. I'm glad I did - in addition to starring a cute actress from the TV show "Heroes" there was an interesting storyline with twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Having come off of a run of small studio/independent/low budget horror movie viewings I appreciated the visual and sound quality. The downside is that it tends to drag a bit (rather odd sounding for a running time less than 90 minutes, I know) and although billed as a horror movie I'd say it was more of a suspense/mystery - not much in the way of scares here but if you're receptive to what I've described I'd say Beneath is a worthwhile viewing.