(2008)
written and directed by Bryan Bertino
reviewed by Adam Armstrong
4.11.09
Are they really making scary movies again?
James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen Mckay (Liv Tyler) just came back from a friends wedding and are
in less than a celebratory mood. A strange woman knocks on their door and asks
for Tamara. The couple sends the woman on her way and James goes to buy Kristen
some more cigarettes. While he’s gone the woman comes back asking for Tamara
again. And other odd things start happening. James returns only to have his car
disabled. The couple finds that they are trapped in a house with no phones and
no way out while a group of strangers is terrifying them.
It is quite refreshing to be frightened by a film
again. This flick has the same creepy feeling as John Carpenter’s Halloween. There are very few things
that jump out and go boo, only a small amount of blood, and a tiny body count.
I really like the way Bertino dealt with cell phones as well (cell phones can
easily ruin about a hundred good horror plots). Using atmosphere, subtlety, and
mood to creep out the audience is unfortunately a rare occurrence in modern
horror films. The only thing I didn’t like was the ‘true story’ hype that was
used to market the movie. Since it was inspired by a true story as opposed to
based on a true story there was quite a bit of creative injections going on.
Something worth renting when your home alone: 5 out of 5