rmorse21

This is a run of the mill ghost story marred by generally poor performances.

All of the familiar, formulaic elements are here. We begin with a happy, oh so happy family wearing pasted-on smiles because, hey-we have to see that they're happy, right? The idiotic smiles remain firmly in place as our little family moves into their newly rented home. But soon the smiles are wiped off their faces as they experience the first of the ever-escalating ghostly events. And does Daddy offer moral support to his wife and daughters as the supernatural mayhem ramps up? Well of course not because, true to form, he experiences none of these events himself, and our formula demands that he remain obstinately skeptical.

All of this is annoying enough, but the real fly in the ointment is the actress who plays the mother. Outfitted throughout in a dime store wig that no self-respecting woman would ever wear in public, mama's performance runs the emotional gamut from A to B. She delivers her lines woodenly, all the while adopting cringe-worthy facial expressions calculated, no doubt, to show either her intense internal turmoil or an attack of gastritis. The scene in which she attempts to cleanse her home by reciting a prayer in a mystifyingly stilted and completely unnatural manner is certainly memorable, if not believable.

I realize that this is not a big budget production, but surely the producer could find a few veterans of the local community theater who could pull off these portrayals far more convincingly. And for heaven's sake, hire a director who is skilled at working with actors beyond simply telling them where to stand for any given shot. In this instance, the incompetence is palpable and ruins an episode that should have offered a modicum of viewing pleasure.

This sorry excuse for a film was doomed by its meandering, pointless script and sluggish direction. It is an embarrassment to all who participated and should be avoided at all costs. Pathetic.