For most of the movie it's a psychological horror-piece and that's when it works best. But in the entire third act it changes genre and becomes supernatural.
*SPOILER AHEAD* I'm not gonna ruin it too much for you except to say it's about Lilith a girl that, Emelie socialworker, gets legal custody over after her parents have been committed, having tried to kill their own daughter.
But the girl Lilith, creepingly played by Jodelle Ferland, is not the sweet and innocent victim of abusive parents as she seems to be.
She is evil and is responsible for her all of her parents siblings dying after she was born. But not by actually killing them herselves. She can will people to kill themselves by exposing them to their biggest fear, making them kill themselves accidentally trying to escape their fears.
And this is where the movie becomes troubling for me. Because had the girl just been plain evil and killed people herself, that would have been plenty scary. But when it's revealed at one point that she's not even human but a supernatural monster disguised as an innocent looking girl then it becomes ridiculous. When the girl changes her appearance to a male looking devil figure with sharp teeth and when the girls mother comes after Emily as a ghost, that's when I got annoyed.
I don't have a problem with supernatural horror (i love the series Supernatural) but this movie can't decide whether it wants to scare people psychologically or by showing ghosts and creatures.
It's nice that it is R rated which allows for some gruesome graphic deaths and that there are no limits as to what they can show.
However Renee Zellweger is annoying as the socialworker speaking with the same little girl voice as Jodelle Ferland throughout the movie. And her performance is not convincing either. Her transition for loving Lilith and wanting to take care of her to to her being afraid of Lilith is just not coinvincing.
The movies best performances are Jodelle Ferland and Ian Macshane. Bradley Cooper is less convincing as a children's psychologist. Al though his death is the most violent and graphical in the movie and he is sympathetic enough that I want him to live.
But if you want a truly scary movie with a creepy little girl I recommend watching the much scarier movie: Orphan instead. It's also R-rated which I think is a must in the horror genre. And a much better horror movie with pretty much the same premise. But executed much better.
*SPOILER AHEAD* I'm not gonna ruin it too much for you except to say it's about Lilith a girl that, Emelie socialworker, gets legal custody over after her parents have been committed, having tried to kill their own daughter.
But the girl Lilith, creepingly played by Jodelle Ferland, is not the sweet and innocent victim of abusive parents as she seems to be.
She is evil and is responsible for her all of her parents siblings dying after she was born. But not by actually killing them herselves. She can will people to kill themselves by exposing them to their biggest fear, making them kill themselves accidentally trying to escape their fears.
And this is where the movie becomes troubling for me. Because had the girl just been plain evil and killed people herself, that would have been plenty scary. But when it's revealed at one point that she's not even human but a supernatural monster disguised as an innocent looking girl then it becomes ridiculous. When the girl changes her appearance to a male looking devil figure with sharp teeth and when the girls mother comes after Emily as a ghost, that's when I got annoyed.
I don't have a problem with supernatural horror (i love the series Supernatural) but this movie can't decide whether it wants to scare people psychologically or by showing ghosts and creatures.
It's nice that it is R rated which allows for some gruesome graphic deaths and that there are no limits as to what they can show.
However Renee Zellweger is annoying as the socialworker speaking with the same little girl voice as Jodelle Ferland throughout the movie. And her performance is not convincing either. Her transition for loving Lilith and wanting to take care of her to to her being afraid of Lilith is just not coinvincing.
The movies best performances are Jodelle Ferland and Ian Macshane. Bradley Cooper is less convincing as a children's psychologist. Al though his death is the most violent and graphical in the movie and he is sympathetic enough that I want him to live.
But if you want a truly scary movie with a creepy little girl I recommend watching the much scarier movie: Orphan instead. It's also R-rated which I think is a must in the horror genre. And a much better horror movie with pretty much the same premise. But executed much better.