Director: Sam Raimi
Year: 2009
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
When a young woman denies help to an old woman at her bank, her angered actions force a curse of demonic intensity that soon forces her into grave and dangerous acts in order to save herself and her loved ones from the series of demonic attacks that have been thrust against her.
Review:
This one here was an enjoyable if somewhat flawed effort. One of the better aspects of this one is the rather enjoyable sense of suspense that comes about from the infliction of the curse. The atmosphere is great because of that, as the introduction of the curse offers up plenty to like here starting from the initial meeting in the office that sets it in motion to the backstory that gives us more information on the events that are offered here really giving this one some dark tones to be had. This is brought about mainly because of the central curse itself, which is perfectly setup to be a main showcase for continuous supernatural attacks before getting dark enough to the point of something really evil happening to her.
That also leads into the other big plus here in that there's plenty of action since it doesn't really slow down all that much, driving forward nicely with a fantastic pace about it that has numerous great supernatural action scenes. The opening seance at the mansion that depicts the original encounter with the spirit offers plenty of strong work including a strong jump-scare, while the scenes of the woman trying to inflict the curse upon her gives this one a strong series of scenes that manage to come off rather nicely. Even better are the scenes later one when she's already cursed, from the freak-out in the house to the different encounters with the ghostly woman coming after her in the various locations around her including the barn sequence or the dinner party encounter. There's also the sequences in the final half that really make this one fun, from the big encounters with the supernatural beings attacking her to the graveyard confrontation that has a lot to like about it.
The main cast here does exactly as well as the rest of the material. There's a lot to like with Alison Lohman who plays Christine Brown, as her sweet, good-natured role is incredibly charming. Never played out as being a vicious person doing the wrong thing to the wrong person, she comes off nicely as the good-hearted person caught up in red-tape which sets her off on a path that nobody wants to embark upon, and her frazzled nature that comes about from the constant attacks makes her rather sympathetic as she tries to put an end to it. Justin Long as her boyfriend Clay Dalton doesn't really do much as he stays off to the side in order to let her deal with the issues and never really seems connected to the storyline which is a shame as he's quite competent in these roles. The other big player here, Dileep Rao as Rham Jas who tries to help her with the curse, is a fine and warm authority on the supernatural as they battle the curse together. As well as one of the better twist endings that's not only logical but works well, this has plenty to like although there's certainly parts here that need fixing.
One of the biggest issues is the fact that there's way too much familiarity in the film to really stand out here. Basing your entire collection of scares and jump scenes around the exact same ploy, having the music stinger accompany it turned up incredibly loud on the sound, grows tiring and shows a discernible lack of imagination through and through. From the ghastly-looking woman screaming loudly appear suddenly out of the darkness to grab her or seeing the flash visions of the ghostly demons floating around ready to grab a loose appendage just keeps getting used here and that really doesn't make the film standout all that much. The other issue is the fact that this one makes it very clear that there's no real danger to the girl as she has a few days to wait until the curse finally takes hold which keeps her relatively safe throughout the film. No matter how tortured she gets, it has no interest in harming her until then and it makes this one feel a little tame during that section. Otherwise, there's not so much wrong here.
Overview: *** 1/2/5
While it has a few minor issues to be had here, there's still a whole lot to like with this one as it offers enough enjoyable moments to be decidedly enjoyable. This is definitely worthwhile for those that appreciate the creative side's previous efforts or looking for more underrated genre efforts, while those that don't appreciate it should heed caution.
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