Not ghostly enough!

Johnson Thomas

This revisit of Tom Hooper's seminal 1982 horror film that was produced by Steven Spielberg, tries to reproduce the same mechanics but fails to strike it as effectively. The original was a monster hit; a benchmark film that spewed many wannabes that never quite caught up. This one is no different, even if it has the official tag to it.

When a family moves into a suburban home built on the grounds of an Indian burial site, they find themselves attacked by agents of the supernatural world. Eric (Sam Rockwell) has recently been laid off from his job; his wife, Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt), is no longer simply a homemaker, but rather an unsuccessful writer who effectively functions as a homemaker.

Their kids include; teenager Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), six-year-old cutie, Madison (Kennedi Clements), and middle child Griffin (Kyle Catlett), who, more sensitive than normal, is the first to notice strange, ghostly phenomena in their new abode. As in the original, there isn't any blood or gore but the scares don't come at you either. The source material is the same but the treatment lacks spirit and bite. The overall experience is one of déjà vu rather than any new interest. Also the topicality and timing of the original is missing here. The original used its spirit thrust against rampant consumerism as an effective giddy-up for potent scares. This one doesn't quite cut it.

Despite the homage-like quality to the project, there is not much valid reason for this film to exist.