A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Trailer
Reviews
CinemaSerf
6
By CinemaSerf
Well, aside from a bit of a "Neighbours" reunion between Guy Pearce and Alan Dale, there's not really much to say about this film. Pearce is "Alex" who, with girlfriend "Kim" (Katie Holmes), has set up home in a stately pile where his daughter "Sally" (Bailee Madison) discovers an hitherto long sealed up cellar. Like most brats her age, she cannot leave well alone - despite warnings from the wary "Harris" (Jack Thompson) - a relative of the previous owner who disappeared under mysterious circumstances - and so soon she is reaping the rewards for her meddling. What now ensues reminded me of a well known Christmas film where you mustn't feed or water the baddies... Only this one comes with a load of frenetic screaming and hysteria that actually - especially the bath scene - had me praying for a quick, child-free, resolution to all of our problems. Guillermo del Toro may have written the screenplay, but in the hands of director Troy Nixey we are presented with a rather derivative storyline that isn't greatly served by a lacklustre Pearce and by the always over-rated Holmes whose acting career up a certain Creek really ought to have ended there. It's neither scary nor remotely original and the closing scenes elicited a far more menacing prospect than anything we see earlier. Might there be a sequel?? Sorry - one to watch and swiftly forget.