Cast: Guy Pearce,Katie Holmes,Bailee Madison Director: Troy Nixey Indian Express Ratings:** THIS Guillermo del Toro production is right up the Mexican auteurs sleeve in the gloomy mansion it is set in. That would be alright if the horror of this film was the house. It is actually tiny little hairy beings which are like an anti-climax that never builds to anything truly heart-stopping. The hairy beings are also frightened of bright lights. That should be an easy enough problem to solve for two architects who restore old houses. However,no one flicks those light switches on. Instead,they leave a 10-year-old who has just seen a horrific attack alone in her large bed in a room despite her pleading not to be left alone,and switch the light off despite her telling them not to. The fact that the girl can see what her parents refuse to is central to the story. At the same time,haunted houses do work on the premise of someone entering a sealed basement or a locked room anyone outside of horror films would avoid,and at least some others blissfully unaware of what has changed since. Mostly,however,what lies on the other side should be worth the effort. shalini.langer@expressindia.com
