There is a history behind the house that this family moves into. And it is but obvious as per the tenets of any haunted house horror film that deals with premise of a terrorized home. Think of the Amityville Horror. That legendary scary film that dealt with what a family had to handle in terms of a household terror.
But mind you, this is not a typical horror film. You cannot keep out what is already within. It is not long before the smallest kid in the household stars experiencing instances of paranormal activity. The cinematography (James Kniest who has also worked on Annabelle) is tight, conveys the feeling of fear and will keep you on the edge of your seat, guessing about what is going to happen next. The special effects are subtle, and not the in-your-face variety. And yet, the atmosphere created by director Phil Claydon, manages to retain a tense scenario.
It is definitely not entirely a dark film, in the sense that other suspense thrillers like It Follows and Babadook are. So basically, without giving away any spoilers, you will have to see this film to believe it. The sound effects are quite effective. Yes, indeed, there are jump scares. But those are not of the cliched variety that you will see in ordinary horror films. Here, the special effects team keeps matters understated.
( 3.5 / 5 )