IMDb > The Messengers (2007)
The Messengers
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The Messengers (2007) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 24 | slideshow) Videos (see all 20)
The Messengers (2007) -- An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder.
The Messengers (2007) -- Clip: Playing with Baby
The Messengers (2007) -- Behind The Scenes: Dead boy happy
The Messengers (2007) -- Interview:  Kristen Stewart On Why She Likes Horror Movies
The Messengers (2007) -- An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder.

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Overview

User Rating:
5.2/10   12,474 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
Mark Wheaton (screenplay)
Todd Farmer (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Messengers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 February 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
There is evidence to suggest that children are highly susceptible to paranormal phenomena. They see what adults cannot. They believe what adults deny. And they are trying to warn us.
Plot:
An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Decent But Heavily Derivative. more (178 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kristen Stewart ... Jess

Dylan McDermott ... Roy

Penelope Ann Miller ... Denise

John Corbett ... Burwell
Evan Turner ... Ben
Theodore Turner ... Ben

William B. Davis ... Colby Price

Brent Briscoe ... Plume

Dustin Milligan ... Bobby

Jodelle Ferland ... Michael Rollins

Michael Daingerfield ... Police Officer
Tatiana Maslany ... Lindsay Rollins

Shirley McQueen ... Mary Rollins

Anna Hagan ... Doctor
Blaine Hart ... Charlie
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Scarecrow (International: English title) (working title)
The Untitled Pang Brothers Horror Project (USA) (working title)
Totem (International: English title) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing violence and terror.
Runtime:
USA:90 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White (flashback scenes) | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Scout Taylor-Compton auditioned for the role of Jess. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: In the film they are harvesting sunflowers when they are full bloom. Sunflowers can only be harvested in the winter when they are fully black more
Quotes:
Jess: [to her brother] Where are they? What do you see? more
Movie Connections:
References Cold Creek Manor (2003) more
Soundtrack:
All My Dreams Are Coming True more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 40 people found the following comment useful.
Decent But Heavily Derivative., 10 February 2007
5/10
Author: youshotandywarhol from Oregon

"The Messengers" revolves around a young teenager, Jess (Kristen Stewart), who moves out into rural North Dakota with her dad (Dylan McDermott), her mother (Penelope Ann Miller), and her little brother, to a sunflower farm. The house they move into is run-down and very spooky, and Jess isn't happy about the entire situation. From the moment they arrive to the house, Jess begins to have strange experiences and see very bizarre things. Her younger brother also sees things that nobody else can, and Jess is concerned. A man who shows up out of nowhere (John Corbett) to work at the farm, and the family becomes pretty close with him as well. But the increasingly frightening supernatural experiences that only Jess seems to see get more and more violent, and seem to have a relation to something that happened in the house years ago.

With some obvious similarities to "The Grudge" (and just about every ghost story you can think of), "The Messengers" is an extremely derivative ghost tale that manages to hold itself up without becoming unbearably watchable. The story itself is your typical haunted-house yarn - family moves into house, strange experiences begin that can only be seen by the children or our main character, seems to have a relation to a horrible incident that happened in the house years before. Full of dark and shadowy rooms, ghost-like figures with ridiculously orchestrated jerky movements (reminiscent of "The Grudge"), mostly useless "jump" scares, and a small child character who can see things others can't, "The Messengers" is clichéd, no doubting that. I wasn't afraid once during this film, because I knew when to expect all of the scary moments. Maybe it's because I've seen films like this one too many times, but all I can say for sure is that I didn't find this film scary.

While this film is heavily clichéd (which is probably it's strongest negative point), I still managed to enjoy the majority of it. While the story is typical, it managed to keep my attention and I was at least interested. The cinematography really soared in this film. Everything was very nice looking and the atmosphere was great. The backdrop of the house and the surrounding land really made it feel like it was in the complete middle of nowhere, and the old house itself, while it was your typical haunted house, was admittedly spooky looking. The acting was really good for the most part. Kristen Stewart is the lead and is very talented and convincing. I'd previously seen her in "Panic Room" at a younger age, and even then she was good. I can see her going places. Dylan McDermott and John Corbett are both very good as well, and Penelope Ann Miller, while not giving the best performance of the cast, was decent enough. I can't say anything too horrible about the acting though.

Overall, "The Messengers" is your typical, cliché-ridden modern ghost story, and it borrows so much from other recent films of it's type (which a lot of these films seem to do), that it becomes another one of those "we've seen it all before" horror movies. It doesn't offer much of anything new for the genre, but it was at least watchable. If you want some cheap scares and a very few number of eerie moments, you'll probably enjoy this. But mostly, this film is one big cliché. Enjoyable if you don't take it too seriously though, but just average. 5/10.

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