This is what I call a competent horror film that is neither good nor bad.
In the beginning scene we meet an attractive lady that is playing the piano & she is murdered by a little girl. A cut scene follows & we meet the widower & we find out that he has moved on with a new lady & their son has yet to come to terms with his mum's death. Guess what, for plot convenience she is a trained child psychologist that can help the boy...
The dad is called away for work leaving those two time to bond. The boy has a recurring dream turned nightmare in which his dead mother comes to visit him but her skin rots before his eyes. His night terrors stop him from having a good night's sleep.
The next day they go for a walk & the boy notices a dilapidated hut with strange strings and kite like items hanging from the outside. A strange lady explains that those items are dream catchers that help to catch negative energy & prevent bad thoughts/nightmare from entering your dreams. The boy steals one of those dream catcher after the cynical clinical psychologist refuses to buy one for him. She is a woman of science & accuses the lady of being a con woman.
I guessed the film's ending less than half way through this movie. The stolen dream catcher is the only cursed one that has dire consequences... The two female leads are good. The type cast Lin Shaye, best known for her portrayal of the medium in the Insidious Franchise, does a convincing role here too. I did recognise Radha Mitchell, who starred in Silent Hill & Man on Fire, plays the psychologist well.
It follows the horror cliché with the protagonist that believes in science is proven wrong (when invariably it is too late to rectify this) by the supernatural explanation. I did not get scared once throughout the duration of the film. It does not have the horror elements that elict an uneasy feeling that are found in their Asian counterparts like The Wailing, The Ring, Grudge, Tale of two sisters, etc...
In the beginning scene we meet an attractive lady that is playing the piano & she is murdered by a little girl. A cut scene follows & we meet the widower & we find out that he has moved on with a new lady & their son has yet to come to terms with his mum's death. Guess what, for plot convenience she is a trained child psychologist that can help the boy...
The dad is called away for work leaving those two time to bond. The boy has a recurring dream turned nightmare in which his dead mother comes to visit him but her skin rots before his eyes. His night terrors stop him from having a good night's sleep.
The next day they go for a walk & the boy notices a dilapidated hut with strange strings and kite like items hanging from the outside. A strange lady explains that those items are dream catchers that help to catch negative energy & prevent bad thoughts/nightmare from entering your dreams. The boy steals one of those dream catcher after the cynical clinical psychologist refuses to buy one for him. She is a woman of science & accuses the lady of being a con woman.
I guessed the film's ending less than half way through this movie. The stolen dream catcher is the only cursed one that has dire consequences... The two female leads are good. The type cast Lin Shaye, best known for her portrayal of the medium in the Insidious Franchise, does a convincing role here too. I did recognise Radha Mitchell, who starred in Silent Hill & Man on Fire, plays the psychologist well.
It follows the horror cliché with the protagonist that believes in science is proven wrong (when invariably it is too late to rectify this) by the supernatural explanation. I did not get scared once throughout the duration of the film. It does not have the horror elements that elict an uneasy feeling that are found in their Asian counterparts like The Wailing, The Ring, Grudge, Tale of two sisters, etc...