C- Could do better!
I bought the film in the US back in April from the Virgin Bargain bin for $4. I only just watched the film last night and although at the start I was quite spooked about watching it (although the spider running across my Living room floor just as it started didn’t help) once started the film turned out to be no more scary than an episode of Scooby Doo!
The main problem was the casting and the slightly confusing storyline with all the flash backs and crap surrounding Jessie’s character (I also at first thought the Nurse was Jessie’s Mum after seeing the Mum look like she had been burnt rather than have cancer). As someone else has said the character of Kevin was very badly acted, but then again so was Baines, Allan etc. My favourite actor in the cast was that of Meg, but I didn’t get why, if she was possessed by the nurse, she only left it until just before they escape to say anything? Why would the nurse not try and fight back before then?? Also, I liked the Nurses acting, but she is quite an established actress with a lot of films etc under her belt, they could have used her more really.
Anyway, I did however think the location was fantastic. What a scary old building, definitely a place the Most Haunted team should visit. However, would you buy a flat there after knowing its history? Blimey. Also the effects were superb. I loved the ghost of the little girl, that was very spooky, although why wasn’t she interviewed for the extras on the DVD? Was it to make us think she was a real ghost and not an actor like The Woman in Black?? (In the stage show of The Woman in Black the actress whom plays the woman in black is not listed! It’s well scary!) I doubt it. And they made good use of both CGI and real person to show the ghosts. If this film would have had a better story to it, it would have been fantastic with that location and those effects.
It was also let down by yet again a terrible ending. Why cant we get decent horror film endings?? They had just escaped near death, lost their friends and sister to a scary Peodo ghost, but just walk away calm as you like with the line "so lets go home then" (Or something along those lines).
The film is worth seeing just for the effects, but just try and ignore some of the acting, but then again they were mostly newbie actors and we all have to start somewhere. The film also reminded me of Session 9 every now and then.
Hence I give it a C-, could do better. Not the worst horror I’ve ever seen, just below average, but definitely had potential to be a top notch one.