Directors: Oxide Pang Chun & Danny Pang
Venue: Theater
Starring: Dylan McDermott, Kristen Stewart, Penelope Ann Miller
Trailer
On a whim, I decided to treat myself to a movie after work. Having missed so many horror films in the theater lately, I was craving big screen scare. So, I went online and looked up the closest starting time at the nearest cinema. I remembered that the trailer for The Messengers had given me chills and I decided that it would be my choice for the evening. Ten minutes and five dollars later, I was seated in a virtually empty theater and hoping for the best.
After a hard time in the big city, Roy (Dylan McDermott) decides to invest in some property and pack his family off to farm country. Little does he suspect, their new home has a sorted past. As Roy prepares to try his hand at growing sunflowers, his wife Denise (Penelope Ann Miller) unpacks, his daughter Jess (Kristen Stewart) mopes about and his son Ben gets acquainted with the house’s “late” residents. Although Jess has an inkling that there’s something different about the house, she doesn’t really begin to worry until she is witness to a terrifying display of paranormal activity. Naturally, her parents aren’t around when the furniture starts to fly about and they accuse her of acting out in rebellion against the move. Typical horror film parents. Jess realizes though, that her speechless brother can see the ghosts too. Scenes of her carrying the toddler around, seeking out apparitions were what initially spooked me about the trailer.
Unfortunately, that aspect of the feature itself wasn’t as prominent as I’d anticipated. That wasn’t the only disappointment either. The interaction between the characters in The Messengers seemed a bit disjointed. Judging from the way her parents are acting, one would imagine that Jess is throwing a fit about the family’s relocation. In actuality, she seems to be adjusting quite well and isn’t snotty or misbehaved at all. In the beginning, Roy seems to be very considerate of his daughter’s wellbeing. But, midway through the story, she starts to seek the farmhand, Burwell (John Corbett), for understanding. The mother isn’t much of a person either. It seems that she’s gone so far into the country only to facilitate her husband’s desires and doesn’t offer much of her own input on any subject. Oddly, there is never any mention of what Jess’ school situation might be either. She does meet a nice boy in town, but his character only seems to have been written into the script for the sake of convenience. He doesn’t really have much of a personality. Basically, the entire cast of characters is very lukewarm.
Here’s a question: Why do the ghosts in the house seem so hell bent on harming the girl, but not her younger sibling? The “fright factor” in The Messengers is as tepid as the cast. Granted, being the horror movie veteran that I am, it takes quite a bit to make me jump. Each of the moments designed to make the audience leap up in their seats is very formulaic. If you’ve been around the block a few times, they’re easy to see coming. What I crave these days is a pervasive creepiness and rising goose bumps. I didn’t find that the haunted farmhouse offered much in the way of spooky atmosphere.
The special effects in The Messengers are mediocre as well. Compared to The Grudge, the ghosts here are essentially of the same variety, but somewhat less terrifying. The basic plot and storyline have already been used in a score of previous movies and the “twist” at the end, despite the fact that I didn’t see it coming, wasn’t a surprise at all.
One of the little things I did enjoy about the movie was the presence of crows. I have a “thing” for the large, black creatures and can appreciate the element they bring to a scene in almost any setting. They’re significance in this movie is a little obscure aside from just being a nuisance to the farmer. The toddler (played by Evan and Theodore Turner) didn’t get on my nerves even slightly, as most child actors do. Maybe it was because he only has one line in the film.
At the risk of being redundant at this point, I’ll go ahead and officially state that this movie was a disappointment. Even the title leaves me wondering what the producers were thinking. The “messengers” aren’t really trying too hard to send any kind of “message” other than to scare the crap out of Jess. Granted, this wasn’t as awfully rank as some of the other movies currently out (just wait for my review of Primevil), but it fell far short of my expectations. The verdict: avoid spending money on a ticket to this one and rent it only if you can find a discount.
Overall Rating: 2
Hottie Rating: 0
Alternate viewing: The Sixth Sense
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