TMG Scale 3.0
Starring Patrick Wilson…a few other intersting actors but no other “stars”

I am being generous with a 3.o rating only because I did jump a few times. This movie is perfect example of why Hollywood needs to team up with Art and Joy to review films BEFORE release. This attempt at a great horror thriller fell flat because of bad editing, bad acting and some really bad writing.  Joy and I could have turned this move from a struggling 3.0 to a 7.0 or even an 8.0 in fifteen minutes. It had potential.

First and foremost, what was wrong with the lighting in this movie? I understand the theatrical use of low light, but you literally needed night vision goggles to see the first half of this film. The only tone it set was anger. I almost went out to the theatre manager to complain they had failure in the projection room. This film needed an “astral projector” not to view from another dimension, just to see it in this dimension!

Josh (Wilson) and Renai Lambert and family move into new house. Strange things start to happen. Their young son falls into a coma-like state. More bad things and strange appearances happen. The family moves.  The torment continues. The new house appears haunted too.   At first, you swear they just need a better real estate agent. [Joy and I recommend Carol Chartrand of PruKCshe’s a big sponsor of our radio show!] But alas, perhaps it is not the house that is haunted?  Well, who ya gonna call? Yes, believe it or not, they call a team of paranormal exorcists on par with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd from Ghost Busters (1984). The audience is left guessing whether this movie is a thriller or  campish comedy

The real fault with this movie is it took painfully long to develop. The whole first half reminded me of Paranormal Activity 2. [No wonder, it was the same producers.] If I see one more spook flick where strange voices are heard over a baby monitor, I will scream like I am possessed! Nothing can be more un-original or un-scarey!  Scenes of the Lambert’s son at the hospital were laughably bad….even Wilson looked like he was trying out for a bad high school play. The very night after they come home, an attacker enters their house and terrorizes the family. No one calls the police.  Wilson decides this is a good time to start working late and leave his family alone. Wife Renai treats a bloody hand stain on a bed sheet as if it were child’s prank for “the Dad” to deal with.  Nothing add up. Insidious?  Yes. Insidiously bad!

To be fair and balanced, the last thirty minutes of this film were pretty suspenseful and edgy. It got super creepy and delved into the sort of mind control dreams we have seen this past year in Inception (2010) and even this week with Source Code. It got down right freaky and fun.  For me, this film develiped just way too little too late in an overly flawed production.