9/10
The film starts out in a way I appreciate very much. It shows a young girl in modern day America running away from something in the woods. This scene was filmed very well. The snow gives it a chilling feel(no pun intended), and the quick movement of the camera makes the running feel much more authentic.
After the present time is shown for a few minutes the film goes into its main setting of 1817. Not many horror films go back this far in time, but being this one is based on an allegedly true story, they had to. This film did a great job of bringing the viewer back two centuries. One of the best factors of it all is the costumes. Every character looks the time perfectly, and I give major props to all of the costume designers for a job well done. The scenery is also beautiful in this movie. The woods look fantastic, and the buildings look very at the time. Some of the looks remind me of the 1992 film "Last of the Mohicans," because it has a very relaxing look in some scenes. On the complete other hand, a lot of the scene were done perfectly because of the dark feeling they cause. In the end, whether it's capturing the time, or just the film itself, the movie looks fantastic in all ways possible.
The acting in this film was pleasant for sure, mainly because of the safe picks in cast members. First of, Donald Sutherland plays the main character John Bell. Sutherland is one of those actors that can't do me wrong, and this role was just another effortlessly amazing role by him. He gives such a dark performance, because even though he is portrayed as a nice guy, the delivery of his words, and his sinister smile give a hidden persona in him. Sissy Spacek was another pick that couldn't go wrong in the role of John's wife Lucy. She does a great job in capturing the fear and tensity needed in frightening moments, and then in the next scene she can go back to being a kind and loving mother and wife. The standout in this film for me was Rachel Hurd-Wood in the role of Betsy Bell. She gave a better performance as the victim of paranormal torture than I have have seen in a long time. She captures so much terror and emotion in her performance, and the viewer really feels so much toward her. The way that she shakes around and freaks out is just priceless, and I feel that she did near as good as Linda Blair in "The Exorcist." This was such a mature performance for young actress like her, and I give humongous praise to her.
In the past, I haven't really been a fan of paranormal films. I watched "Poltergeist" a few years ago, and I just couldn't dig it at all. About two years ago, I watched "The Exorcist," and while it was a very well made film in all standards, I just couldn't get into it fully. The problem I had was the fact that I couldn't be convinced of anything like those films happening in real life. This film really changed my opinion for me. I could really see a happening like this taking place, because it doesn't just depict a ghost or the devil taking over someone, but much much more. I almost feel that while curses are still mildly a part of this film, that the happenings are much more psychological, and because of past trauma or sins in life. I really feel that Betsy is having a lot of these attacks because of a horrible experience that is revealed near the end of the film. I feel that her mind was scarred, and that she became very paranoid in life. On the other hand, I think John has attacks brought to him because of his wrongdoings of his past. I feel like that his guilt ate him up the point that he felt that these horrible things were happening to him, while in the end it is just his paranoid mind playing games with him. So in the sense that this film is called a true story, I could totally believe that in a sense. While I'm still skeptical on the idea of ghosts physically being real, I totally believe in the psychological aspect of it 100%.
In the last section, I talked about the ideas of paranormal activities in the film, but there is a whole different side to the plot, and that's what we see in these occurrences. The scenes of the hauntings are absolutely amazing in this film. The way the camera moves, the flashing lights, the dark nature, the screams, and just everything makes the scenes amazing. I love how the stress portrayed in the character is brought of to the audience, because it really gives us the ride of the terror, and makes the film all the more freaky. Another thing I love is that you can see how these occurrences really take a toll on people like Betsy. You see her get angry more frequently, you see her asleep in class, and you see the physical ailments coming on to her. One of the best examples of this in my opinion was when she lays down at one point, and you can see that her eyes have circles of black all around them. This is what makes a paranormal film great, because while it isn't a quick violence movie like a slasher, they portray the terror in a much slower and chilling way.
Overall, there really wasn't anything I could complain about in this movie. It surprised me that I enjoyed it so much, but I could honestly call it the best paranormal movie I have seen so far. It was freaky, interesting, and extremely well made. I mentioned earlier that many critics hated this movie. Only 12% of the reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes liked it. I can confidently say that I can be added to this 12% because I have become a huge fan. This is the first horror movie I have liked from the 2000's, and it has inspired me to be more open to the genre itself, and more recent films. Definitely check this out, because you will not regret it one bit.
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