Restoration

I found the movie not very engaging and hard to get into. Things happened but it just felt like they did to move the plot forward. The acting in this movie was dry and it felt like a b-flick movie. The story was what it was and whatever it was about by the time it was over I didn't care much for it. The women in this movie are pretty and I guess that's a plus... just not enough of a plus to actually watch this movie from start to finish. I felt like it could of been done better but the way it was executed felt very low budget and just straight forward that didn't give you much of a reason to guess about anything or try to solve the mystery. It just kind of fast forwards itself to the end in a way. Would I watch this again? No. would I recommend it to anyone? No. I just can't think of anything that's really good about this movie. It's not terrible... it's not bad...it's just not all that interesting.

Do yourselves a favour and give this a miss! The acting between the main couple is ludicrous. Even though she is a Doctor working long hours and under stress and he is apparently renovating their house, they are just too lovey dovey all of the time, especially the husband. The fun teddy bear fight like a couple of teenagers is laughable - even though the previous owner left over 400 teddy bears behind, they happen to throw the one teddy bear that contained the 'secret' diary - that was lucky wasn't it? When she finds out she's pregnant, the husband goes for a slash in the bathroom and finds the pregnancy kit - he comes out and throws a wobbly because she hadn't told him - she only found out herself 2 minutes ago! After reading the diary and doing some investigative work, they have to go to a loony bin to speak to some loony woman, who after all these years is still alive and luckily living in the local loony bin - another lucky stroke of luck. The Doctor woman tells some cock & bull story to get access to see her and is told to bring her credentials and paperwork with her. When she gets there, with her husband in tow, she is asked for her credentials before she can get in. After seeing her credentials, they are given 2 guest passes - one for her and one for Bob the friggin builder - how and why did they let him in? When they get inside to see this loony woman, the big beefy security guy says 'I'll be outside the door'. The loony woman is saying nothing, so Bob the builder decides to berate her and tells her what he thinks of her - quite loudly. Does the beefy bouncer hear this and coming running in to see what's going on - not a chance, he actually waits until she starts to cry and then he's in like a shot! I only gave it 2 stars because of creepy neighbour Zack.

Watching The Haunted is like opening an antique music box: it creaks, but it still plays a haunting tune. This paranormal potboiler has its skeletons sorted-refreshingly realistic characters and a plot that manages to hold its ectoplasmic weight. However, the one thing I couldn't find was a character to care about. It's a bit like watching Poltergeist but forgetting who actually owns the house. You're intrigued, but you don't feel the urge to grab their hand and scream, "Run to the light!"

The director wields atmosphere like a steady-handed exorcist, knowing when to linger and when to slice. But the pacing? Well, let's just say it crawls slower than a ghost with bad knees. Sepia-tinged flashbacks add a vintage horror charm-until they jarringly burst into full colour, like The Wizard of Oz gone wrong.

Credit where it's due: the cast does solid work. The creepy neighbours, practically auditioning for Twin Peaks: The Paranormal Edition. Their offbeat performances nearly outshine the spectres, adding just the right amount of "What are these people hiding?"

Ultimately, it's a perfectly spooky rainy-night watch. The Haunted doesn't reinvent the haunted house, but it does redecorate with flair. Fans of occult flicks will appreciate the vibes, even if they check their watches between scares.

First, the story was compelling and had just the right amount of suspense to keep you in a trance while watching! Second, the acting was great and I really enjoyed the story, kid ghosts are creepy! The diary reading was an incredibly scary part of the movie. It is always nice to see an actor turn to directing and do such a great job at it. The acting at the end is so good and so creepy, I easily could have watched another hour with this story. Kudos to a new movie that has a great story, amazing acting and keeps you on the edge of your seat! I hope to see more from Zack Ward (acting or directing) I would def watch this one again!!

Except the fact that it had nothing original whatsoever, it managed to act exactly like those before it, a plot that revealed itself far too soon and acting that could have been better.

As this movie progresses, it sure makes a lot of mistakes, and absolutely all of them have been seen before. Many times even. So this is a B horror that copies some A ones and a lot of other such B productions, for the sake of what? I doubt it will gross it's budget back. It brings nothing new to the table.

But sure, people want to make movies, they have to start somewhere, although it seems they are walking in other people's shoes and hope for the same destination. Hard to imagine this will work.

Cheers!