The Good: visual effects were excellent, the first 30 minutes were actually frightening. The soundtrack was terrific, with numerous little effects added in (whispers, small noises). An atmosphere of a good ghost story was established immediately. This was by, by far, Kevin Bacon's best work yet, though hardly Oscar-worthy. The "ghost" freaked me out, big time!
The Bad: Big holes in the plot made it difficult to understand and illogical at times. Many characters popped in and out of the script with little attention paid to development (i.e. Neil - who the hell was he and what was his purpose?). In some ways, comparison to other films (Close Encounters, Sixth Sense) was justified. Supporting cast was adequate at best. The middle portion of the movie was too much narrative and not enough atmosphere. The "hypnotism" sequences were cheesy and a bit laughable.
The Ugly: ENDING SUCKED! the final half-hour made no sense whatsoever, and ruined what could have been an excellent movie. What was going on at the end made your typical soap opera look simple. A clearer ending would have done wonders for this film.
The Bottom Line: This would have gotten an 8 or 9 rating with a better ending, but I gave it a 7, based solely on terrific horror imagery and atmosphere. I didn't see this in the theatre, but if you rent it, get in on DVD ONLY!!! The digital suuround soundtrack is the best thing about this movie. I doubt it would be worth seeing in VHS.
The Bad: Big holes in the plot made it difficult to understand and illogical at times. Many characters popped in and out of the script with little attention paid to development (i.e. Neil - who the hell was he and what was his purpose?). In some ways, comparison to other films (Close Encounters, Sixth Sense) was justified. Supporting cast was adequate at best. The middle portion of the movie was too much narrative and not enough atmosphere. The "hypnotism" sequences were cheesy and a bit laughable.
The Ugly: ENDING SUCKED! the final half-hour made no sense whatsoever, and ruined what could have been an excellent movie. What was going on at the end made your typical soap opera look simple. A clearer ending would have done wonders for this film.
The Bottom Line: This would have gotten an 8 or 9 rating with a better ending, but I gave it a 7, based solely on terrific horror imagery and atmosphere. I didn't see this in the theatre, but if you rent it, get in on DVD ONLY!!! The digital suuround soundtrack is the best thing about this movie. I doubt it would be worth seeing in VHS.