The horror genre seems to be in a constant state of de-evolution and even when there is an attempt to match the classics in fright such as 'The Exorcist' the plots seem hackneyed and laughable, such is the case with this film.
Renee Zellweger is the films heroin, a social worker dealing with child abuse cases, who benevolently takes in a child named Lilith who was nearly incinerated in an oven by here seemingly insane parents. Zellweger relinquishes young Lilith's case in order to take her into her home for safe keeping whilst the state finds a suitable foster family. Despite the fact that Zellweger had to give up the case she seems strangely able to interview the parents in the institution and gain access to the house in which the attempted murder took place with no difficulty what-so-ever as she slowly finds that Lily isn't what she seems to be.
Zellweger gives her usual hammed up, histrionic performance which is largely void of any real resonance or honesty. But her lacking exploits in the realms of acting are merely the icing on the cake of this post summer release dreck which we have come to know all too well. Bradly Cooper is surprisingly adequate in his role as the Zellweger's romantic interest but he is largely forgettable. In contrast, Jodelle Ferland's portrayal of the demon child is quite good for a child actor and deserves some recognition.
The film suffers from a lack of actual scares, relying too much on the phony, manipulative moments of quiet followed by a startling bump which usually turned out to just be a dog or a harmless comrade. The moments of terror were overwhelmingly not terrifying, and the build up to those moments simply served as give-aways for what was coming. The film making is uninspiring, the direction was pretty basic, and cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski was able to create some visually beautiful (though all- to-often out of focus) shots.
I am now going to produce a spoiler, so if your concerned stop reading.
There comes a moment at the end of the film where the plot holes and character decision become laughable to the point of defenestrating any glimmer of common sense. Zellweger decides to try and kill the demon child by locking her in her room and burning the house down (keep in mind that she is the only one who knows that the child is a demon, so everyone else would figure that an innocent child died in the blaze). Zellweger is surrounded by flames, and at that moment she decides to save her fish by transferring them into a deferent bowl. Which means not only that she leaped heroically through the flames to engage in the process of filling up another bowl and retrieving the fish, but doesn't that also raise questions from the fireman and police officers on the scene that Zellweger was able to save her fish but was unable to make it to the child?
This movie is a dud through and through. You should skip it.
Renee Zellweger is the films heroin, a social worker dealing with child abuse cases, who benevolently takes in a child named Lilith who was nearly incinerated in an oven by here seemingly insane parents. Zellweger relinquishes young Lilith's case in order to take her into her home for safe keeping whilst the state finds a suitable foster family. Despite the fact that Zellweger had to give up the case she seems strangely able to interview the parents in the institution and gain access to the house in which the attempted murder took place with no difficulty what-so-ever as she slowly finds that Lily isn't what she seems to be.
Zellweger gives her usual hammed up, histrionic performance which is largely void of any real resonance or honesty. But her lacking exploits in the realms of acting are merely the icing on the cake of this post summer release dreck which we have come to know all too well. Bradly Cooper is surprisingly adequate in his role as the Zellweger's romantic interest but he is largely forgettable. In contrast, Jodelle Ferland's portrayal of the demon child is quite good for a child actor and deserves some recognition.
The film suffers from a lack of actual scares, relying too much on the phony, manipulative moments of quiet followed by a startling bump which usually turned out to just be a dog or a harmless comrade. The moments of terror were overwhelmingly not terrifying, and the build up to those moments simply served as give-aways for what was coming. The film making is uninspiring, the direction was pretty basic, and cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski was able to create some visually beautiful (though all- to-often out of focus) shots.
I am now going to produce a spoiler, so if your concerned stop reading.
There comes a moment at the end of the film where the plot holes and character decision become laughable to the point of defenestrating any glimmer of common sense. Zellweger decides to try and kill the demon child by locking her in her room and burning the house down (keep in mind that she is the only one who knows that the child is a demon, so everyone else would figure that an innocent child died in the blaze). Zellweger is surrounded by flames, and at that moment she decides to save her fish by transferring them into a deferent bowl. Which means not only that she leaped heroically through the flames to engage in the process of filling up another bowl and retrieving the fish, but doesn't that also raise questions from the fireman and police officers on the scene that Zellweger was able to save her fish but was unable to make it to the child?
This movie is a dud through and through. You should skip it.