Jim Sheridan (1) (1949–)

Will Atenton has just quit his job in the city in order to move to a new house and spend more time with his wife and two little girls. However, it isn't long before he wonders whether the move was a mistake. It turns out that the previous resident killed his wife and two children in the house, and it's now a creepy hangout for local teens. Will's wife and daughters keep spotting someone creeping around outside, which becomes especially worrisome after he learns that the man who used to live there is still alive and walking around free.

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing either a poster or DVD cover with the two little girls whose dresses were blending into the wallpaper (really nice design, even if nothing in the movie was nearly that creepy), and it almost convinced me to spend money on it. I'm glad I didn't, because it was kind of stupid.

Although I was blindsided by a revelation partway through, I didn't think it was at all well handled. I've watched movies that have done similar things, only much better. It didn't feel like there was enough setup, and the emotional manipulation afterward felt cheap. Also, it just plain didn't make sense.

The thing that really annoyed me, however, was the ending, which just sort of plopped into existence. The friendly neighbor and her daughter were never seen again. Will's book was suddenly important enough to be part of the movie's last moments, and of course it was a #1 national bestseller.

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz did their best, but between the badly handled revelations and occasionally unnatural dialogue, this just wasn't very good.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (altro)