finally got to watch this on dvd... Overall I liked the movie. It is a whole lot better than Feng Shui. I liked the acting by most of the cast - the acting was very natural. It also set a very creepy atmosphere. The film had dull muted colors bordering on sepia which really contributed to the dark mood. The story itself was very good. It was very easy to relate to and understand. I did mention in an other thread that I liked 75% of the movie. The 25% I didn't really like was made up of:
1) the anti-climactic ending - When the mom appeared and started talking to them, the movie lost the eeriness it built up. It was excessive spoon feeding to explain all the events which the espritista already narrated. Also, if she was out for revenge, why take Aubrey Miles's character which was the only child she really loved? Didn't really add up.
2) the esperitista - Her acting was overly theatrical as compared to the rest of the cast. I am willing to bet the actress who portrayed her has a lot of stage experience.
3) the miscasting of Aubrey Miles - Casting Aubrey Miles as a retarded/mentally-challenged person was a major dumb ass decision. I mean who would believe that she is retarded when she has immaculately plucked eyebrows, perfectly lipsticked lips, and breasts that were obviously surgically enhanced? I mean, if they needed someone beautiful to play Ruth, at least "unpretty" her down a bit for the role. Her acting did not help as she played being retarded by the numbers.
BUT even with the 25%, I still really enjoyed the movie with my wife. The PQ was good (8/10) and the SQ was also okay but I wish they gave it a 5.1 Audio treatment rather than just a Dolby 2.0 (7/10).