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So, as you might have realized, yes, I tried the movie. And was even eager to watch it (let's downsize my feelings a bit), since it's been a long while since my last movie-watching. And to be honest, the film got me glued the first few minutes (or seconds) of it.
The movie started with a family - a mom and his 2 sons, moving in a new town. The film showed how broken they were as a family - literally and figuratively and how disbonded they've been through the years. The film featured the estranged eldest son, being too hard on his mother and esp. younger brother; the hard-working mom who loves her sons deeply; and the youngest son who is just playful, cute and sweet. The two sons, as most brothers, or simblings, just do not get along well with each other (maybe considering of course, their age gap). The film also featured their newly-knit friendship with their new neighbor - Daphne (who is by the way, hot and whose looks reminded me a lot about Taylor Swift). Eventually, these friends find a bottomless hole on the basement, and that's where all their adventures started.
Seriously, that gist I just wrote was awful. HAHA. Forgive me, I just want this review to be plain and short (and I just don't want to spill out all the horrific details of the movie).
Anyhoo, I have mixed emotions when it comes to this movie. Initially, as I have mentioned earlier (or not), the movie caught my attention on its first parts - even found myself holding my breath and getting thrilled on some of the scenes. But, I honestly think they could've gotten away with that "moving family" plot. I mean, come on! Almost half of the horror films I've been seeing lately involves a 'broken' family, trying to have a brand new start and take on life. So yes, this early on this review, I must say, that's just how bad it was, not to mention those super cliche horror film scenes - like a clown scaring a boy; blood-dripping-on-face girl scaring people; crazy person who used to own the house - that I know everyone tires of already. So at the middle of the film, I just found myself trying my best to finish it, hoping that at least one scene will make my movie-watching delightful. Simply put, until the end, I found none.
It was just a mess for me (that's just me) - from the plot, subplots, to the actors (I must say, though, that the little boy who played Lucas was the best among the cast), to the backstory, effects, set design - everything. Let's just say that the whole film's core was "ghosts of a person's past". And towards the end of the movie, I think it has given me that 'Jumanji' kind of feel; you know - where every cast has the opportunity to take part of some game and play it, although in this film, it wasn't a game, it was a person's greatest fear (and Jumanji's a far better and more enjoyable movie).
So there, as you might have guessed, the conclusion will have to be: NOT RECOMMENDED. It was just a total flop for me. Not even a dime's worth.
Oh well, so much for breaking my movie-watching hiatus. Sigh.