As many of you know, my mind works in a funny way most of the time. Not that it is better or worse than anyone else’s, it’s just a little different. Odd visuals come to mind. Usually they involve things that should never go together but I force them to together anyway. Gordon Ramsay cooking a fried bologna sandwich, Elisha Otis (invented the first passenger elevator) taking the stairs, or Van Gough sitting down with a “paint by numbers” book and a box of magic markers. All of these things are ok for us normal folks, but when a person becomes known for something that they excel at we tend hold those people to a higher standard. That brings me to Guillermo Del Toro (Producer and Screenwriter for this film). He has mesmerized the world with a particular style of visual story telling that is unmatched by others in his field. Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy franchise (which has some of the most imaginative creatures of any film you will ever see) are great examples. So, if this movie would have been written and produced by anyone else, I might give it an “OK”. But because he has set the bar so high, this comes across as a “paint by numbers while sitting in a stairwell eating a bologna sandwich” type of movie.
Plot: When a young girl, Sally (Madison) is sent to live with her architect father, Alex (Pearce), and his interior designer girlfriend Kim (Holmes), a tremendous strain is placed on their project and relationship. The couple is currently working to restore the Blackwood Manor as a way to revitalize the floundering career of Alex. When Sally finds a hidden basement that belonged to the original owner, she becomes obsessed with spending time in it. She does so because she thinks that she hears voices coming from the furnace…and she is right. The voices continue to coax the little girl into being their friend and ultimately letting freeing them from their prison. But once they are free, Sally learns that things are much darker than she hoped they would be. She must find a way to convince Alex and Kim of what is going on and to find a way of getting everyone safe from the house…before it is too late.
Worth the admission? Maybe. It really depends on who the audience is and what they expect. If you are a fan of Del Torro and are looking for a movie that is like his past work then SKIP IT. But if you are looking for a darkly lit movie that does a poor job of scaring you and makes you watch “wooden” acting for two hours all while demolishing a part of children folklore…go for it.
If you saw the telegraphed ending “twist” coming (as I did) OR know which creature from Children folklore they were trying to portray let me know.
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