I really enjoyed this movie from the start through the finish despite the first twist.
The atmosphere is fantastic, from the opening scene onwards, there is a certain air to it that has you just waiting for something to jump out at you, without it being hokey.
I loved the main setting, of an old English estate house turned into a private boarding school. I thought the acting was great and I thought the film overall was very nicely done.
Spoilers Below:
I found the second twist, that she actually lived in that house and witnessed her father murder her mother and half-brother, to be a bit of a stretch. While it is certainly possible for a person to block out some memories, I find it very unlikely that anyone could block out their entire childhood and have no recollection upon seeing the house they grew up in.
As to the first twist, that Jonathan was a ghost, I found it clever. Sure, its been done before, but what hasn't? I think they did a nice job of keeping that a twist by having not one, but two people conversing with the ghost.
The third "twist" if that's what it was, was interesting...you didn't know whether she died or not until almost the very end.
As for other parts...I felt the antagonism with the gardener/driver was an element of the plot that was unnecessary. Either more should have been done with that or it should have been cut.
Also, the sex scene was a little absurd. This woman just had the scare of her life...so she goes with the guy to develop the film and when they see the ghost, she suddenly gets the urge and they have sex? If they wanted to keep that in, they could have moved it to earlier in the film, but it felt odd where they have it.
Anyway, this was a good film and if you like horror movies, this is one you should watch. It's not the best horror out there, but it is certainly better than most of the current crop of what is being marketed as horror; there are no cheap gimmicks or "shock'em with gore and blood" techniques here.
The atmosphere is fantastic, from the opening scene onwards, there is a certain air to it that has you just waiting for something to jump out at you, without it being hokey.
I loved the main setting, of an old English estate house turned into a private boarding school. I thought the acting was great and I thought the film overall was very nicely done.
Spoilers Below:
I found the second twist, that she actually lived in that house and witnessed her father murder her mother and half-brother, to be a bit of a stretch. While it is certainly possible for a person to block out some memories, I find it very unlikely that anyone could block out their entire childhood and have no recollection upon seeing the house they grew up in.
As to the first twist, that Jonathan was a ghost, I found it clever. Sure, its been done before, but what hasn't? I think they did a nice job of keeping that a twist by having not one, but two people conversing with the ghost.
The third "twist" if that's what it was, was interesting...you didn't know whether she died or not until almost the very end.
As for other parts...I felt the antagonism with the gardener/driver was an element of the plot that was unnecessary. Either more should have been done with that or it should have been cut.
Also, the sex scene was a little absurd. This woman just had the scare of her life...so she goes with the guy to develop the film and when they see the ghost, she suddenly gets the urge and they have sex? If they wanted to keep that in, they could have moved it to earlier in the film, but it felt odd where they have it.
Anyway, this was a good film and if you like horror movies, this is one you should watch. It's not the best horror out there, but it is certainly better than most of the current crop of what is being marketed as horror; there are no cheap gimmicks or "shock'em with gore and blood" techniques here.