The Messengers

Someone should have sent Sam Raimi's production company a message not to green-light this film. Ghost House production studios has now cranked out two movies that follow the identical horror-movie formulas. Take a weak story, set it in a dark, creepy house, then make the audience jump with thunderous sounds. Which would all be great and dandy if I was a brainless movie-goer with expectations lower than Ford Motor's current profit margins. But, myself, like many other horror movie fans out there, have minimum expectations that include good acting, a decent script, and tension built on true suspense, not loud folly work.

I will admit, the movie does at least succeed in the department of acting. The actors are good enough to deliver the dry, senseless script. So the acting is solid, how about the special effects. The special effects seemed borrowed from The Grudge. Odd moving, white-painted contortionists move across the ceiling. We've seen it over and over again in The Grudge, The Grudge II, Pulse, Them, etc. Time for a new format, stop ripping off Japanese horror. Special effects aside, the directing is mildly entertaining. The camera angles and cinematic styling are competent and engaging.

This movies is The Birds meets Bogeyman.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10