An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder.
Maverick directors Danny & Oxide Pang (who helmed modern horror classic 'The Eye'), genre savvy producers Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert (who bankrolled 'American Gothic') and screenwriter Mark Wheaton (who co-wrote 'Pitch Black') join forces for 'The Messengers': A light, somewhat over familiar but nonetheless entertaining and well-paced horror, which also marks the English directorial debut of Asia's Pang brothers. 'The Messengers' sees an urbanite family move to the countryside for a quieter life, needless to say, its not long before they're being haunted by sinister spirits in their isolated, rundown farmhouse which, as any discerning horror buff would know, is, and always will be, a hotbed of paranormal activity. Parents Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller seem oblivious to the quartet of vaporous apparitions going bump in the night (and day) so its up to surly teen Jess (Kirsten Stewart) and younger brother Ben who, conveniently, and not unlike his spooky brethren from 'The Sixth Sense' and 'A Stir Of Echoes' can communicate with the dead; to find out what's going on.
Bearing the welts & bruises of studio meddling, 'The Messengers' isn't nearly as good as the off-screen talent involved, and often feels compelled to employ every horror movie cliché in the book as a means with which to compensate for its run-of-the-mill narrative / unspectacular plot twists. And yet in spite of all this, it's the Pang's visual ingenuity (as seen in 'The Eye') which makes it worth watching: Hitchcockian overhead shots of barn ceilings, undefined creatures scuttling in the shadows, sudden sound effects and smash cuts coupled with a perennial sense of dread / foreboding attached to otherwise trivial occurrences, everyday items and mundane tasks. Newcomer Kirsten Stewart gives a naturalistic, believable performance as our troubled heroine Jess, Stewart makes the most of an archetypal teen role; one that could've been played on autopilot by any number of L.A. starlets, and in her strongest scenes; reminded me of a young Winona Ryder. A memorable calling card from the Pangs; an average American horror boosted by good cinematography, subtle performances and suspenseful mis-en-scene: Here's hoping Hollywood got the message.
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Gothic ghost story featuring children possessed of malevolent spirits and mysterious deaths at a small town America sunflower farm. Roy Solomon (Dylan McDermott ) moves with his wife and three kids from Chicago to a remote North Dakota sunflower farm to make a fresh start on a new, healthier and safer life. In reality, they're running from the ghost of their daughter's drunk-driving accident, which hospitalized one of her brothers. John Burwell (John Corbett), a passing drifter, starts work as the family's man Friday and quickly becomes their trusted employee. As things begin to get dark, however and as ravens begin to circle the ranch, the Solomon kids begin to see queer spectral shapes around the house. One of them keeps what he sees to himself and the other is accused of attention seeking but there can be no mistaking what they are seeing as the signs become more threatening and ominous. Is there a presence at work in the house? What happened here that made the previous occupants leave so quickly? Have they even fully left.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. The Messengers stars Kristen Stewart (Panic Room) as Jess, the daughter of Roy and Denise Solomon, played by Dylan McDermott (Wonderland) and Penelope Ann Miller (Along Came a Spider), with John Corbett (Tombstone, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) playing field hand John Burwell. After two tough years in Chicago, the Solomon family retreats to a desolate sunflower farm in North Dakota. The calm that farm life brings them is shattered when 16-year-old Jess and her 2-year-old brother Ben begin to see nightmarish apparitions, visions that nobody else can see. Jess must battle with forces from beyond the grave in a desperate bid to save her family and prove her sanity. Actors Dylan McDermott, Kristen Stewart, Penelope Ann Miller, Graham Bell, Robert Benz, William B. Davis, John Corbett, Michael Daingerfield & Dustin Milligan Director Oxide Pang Chun & Danny Pang Certificate 15 years and over Year 2007 Screen Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Duration 1 hour and 24 minutes (approx)
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