I understand what this movie was going for: the actual feel of terror that's based on mood, not by cheap shots. Well, it attained half of its goal. Throughout the movie, I felt that it was creepy, but not necessarily scary. Then again, the level of fear that's effective against one person isn't nearly as effective against others. So, I'll go point by point, and maybe that'll make a better understanding of what I felt.
Plot
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Couple of lovers who are apparently having a rather stressful day go up to a remote home, although under different circumstances than what was planned. Everything seems alright until a girl asks for someone that doesn't live there. Soon, the girl obviously comes back with others to bring havoc to the couple who try to find a way to outwit and escape their stalkers. Pretty generic, but serviceable. For those of you who want a comparison, think of "Vacancy," except with motives with as much meaning to it as "The Hitcher."
Acting
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I will admit for a horror movie, I was impressed. I found the acting from Tyler and Speedman to be very believable. As stated by some others, they acted like they were truly frightened and panicked. It felt like they really were being stalked by a bunch of psycho's.
Mood
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As I stated before, it constantly has a creepy mood to it. Sound and visuals are used in the appropriate place to set the mood. However, despite it actually being creepy, it was never actually SCARY. I found myself sitting in my seat calm and serene as I watched the movie play out. I suppose the reason it didn't really feel scary was because the movie felt predictable. Sure, I got a few shock jumps, but it was easy to see it all coming: when and where a person was going to jump out from, would the couple be alright by the end of the movie (I will say this, the beginning kind of gave you an idea, but even then, another moment with that ending felt predictable), etc. It just wasn't anything new, and therefore, I had no reason to be scared. I will say though, there WAS an instance that I definitely found surprising, and it was probably one of the more effective parts of the movie. I'm not gonna say much, but I will say a friend was involved.
DIRECTION
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These characters were given tight direction that resulted in a well paced, and intelligently acted (no pun intended) scenario. The actors were never idle and were always moving around the right way based on the scenario. They acted accordingly and intelligently in a situation that could have been deemed threatening or otherwise... of course, that's just my opinion. Also, I would have to say this would tie in with the mood, as it definitely kept the creepy mood going. However, it seemed that Liv Tyler's character was forced to do some rather... well, "curiosity killed the cat" actions that came right out of a teenage slasher flick.
OTHER NOTES
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I have to say, as a first try by the director/ screenwriter, he did a very good job in trying to break free from the traditional "horror" movie. However, despite intentions of trying things new, his efforts fell flat. It seemed like the movie tried a bit too hard and ended up feeling like your usual horror film. It's a little hard to describe it. All I can say is that despite trying to do something different, the director didn't do it the right way. It eventually became extremely predictable, relied on jumpy moments to deliver the scares (and as I said, you could see them coming), and felt like it eventually turned into another typical horror flick. It's good for a single watch, but after that... well, it's best to leave it alone.
Score: 5 out of 10
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