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The Messengers By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- In the supernatural thriller "The Messengers" (Columbia), Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller play married couple Roy and Denise Solomon, who relocate their family from Chicago to a creepy North Dakota farmhouse haunted by the ghosts of its murdered former residents. The vengeful spirits are only visible to the couple's toddler son, Ben, and teenage daughter, Jess (Kristen Stewart), who tries in vain to alert her folks to the otherworldly occupants. With nods to "The Amityville Horror," "The Sixth Sense," "The Shining" and "The Birds," the film uses all the standard conventions: creaking floorboards, mysterious wall stains and a gathering storm of crows. There's even a suspicious drifter (John Corbett) hired to help work the farm; you know he's going to be trouble, despite his good-neighborly demeanor. On the plus side, directing brothers Oxide and Danny Pang bring their less-is-more Asian horror sensibilities to the standard haunted-house genre, showing far more restraint in depicting the murderous mayhem than is generally the case. Still, while adroit at creating eerie visuals, the brothers fail to generate much sustained suspense, mustering only modest chills as they navigate a predictable plot capped by a ludicrous climax. The film contains horror images, violence, sequences of terror and menace with blood, including a disturbing but nongraphic scene of murder, an instance of mild sexual innuendo, as well as some crude language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies. END Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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