Movie Review

3 1/2 stars (out of 4)

Okay. Those of you who know me won't be surprised that I went to see this movie. I love horror movies. Even if it looks completely cheese toasty, I am there.

Totally worth my time. The cheese was slightly melted, but nowhere near fondu. This movie is a tasty treat for the scary movie lovers out there.

What made this movie good, for me, was the following:


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1. You know when a character is in the bathroom looking at the medicine cabinet mirror, and then slides it open to get some meds out? Cue anticipatory music, cue character sliding the mirror shut, cue surprise person standing behind them? HA! This movie was full of "someone's watching/sneaking up behind you/hiding in the shadows" techniques, and they rarely delivered. Which was cool, because you never let yourself off the hook - you were constantly on edge, expecting it.

2. The use of art and blacklights. Fantastic. And creepy. And creative. And I wish I could paint like Esther The Orphan.

3. Esther The Orphan was spooky. She started off speaking in an American accent, but as the film wore on, it developed into a deep, schlocky Eastern European accent, almost Russian.

4. Vera Farmiga. I can watch her in anything. She's hotter than Ms. Jolie. Eye candy for the straight gals. Just sayin.

5. The last 20 minutes. One of the better plot twists. A collective gasp, and then laughter, and then "Aw yeaaaaaah" from the crowd. BTW, saw it at the Esquire. Always a diverse and rowdy crowd, an added bonus to any scary movie theater-going experience.

It was a little Bad Seed and Joshua and The Good Son in places, but that's to be expected with this type of plot - can't really get away from that.