After a moment of common carelessness has caused (or at least allowed) their young son to drown, both husband and wife sink into a morass of grief and mutual hostility. In order to save the marriage, the husband organises a weekend outing to a recently inherited property, to wit an abandoned mansion deep into the countryside. The reconciliation attempt doesn't go all all that well, especially after the wife begins to hear voices talking and giggling...
This is a pretty good psychological horror movie of the restrained and understated kind. After a very slow, very deliberate build-up it ends in a truly chilling finale, which is at the same time unavoidable and unexpected. A masterful soundtrack and musical score add to the steadily growing sense of unease.
So it's a horror movie, but at the same time it's a tragedy, giving the viewer an uncomfortably realistic portrayal of two people who should help and comfort each other, but spend much of their time ignoring or belittling each other's needs. (I thought the husband was being a particular jerk, but this may be the female perspective speaking.) During my life I have witnessed very similar situations. A great sorrow tends to tie solid marriages closer together, while it dissolves unhappy or uneven ones.
Add great dollops of guilt into the mix, and the result will be the kind of infernal circle pictured in the movie. It's enough to make Dante cry his eyes out...
Try and watch a good copy. The version I saw had problems with regard to the sharpness and resolution of the images.
This is a pretty good psychological horror movie of the restrained and understated kind. After a very slow, very deliberate build-up it ends in a truly chilling finale, which is at the same time unavoidable and unexpected. A masterful soundtrack and musical score add to the steadily growing sense of unease.
So it's a horror movie, but at the same time it's a tragedy, giving the viewer an uncomfortably realistic portrayal of two people who should help and comfort each other, but spend much of their time ignoring or belittling each other's needs. (I thought the husband was being a particular jerk, but this may be the female perspective speaking.) During my life I have witnessed very similar situations. A great sorrow tends to tie solid marriages closer together, while it dissolves unhappy or uneven ones.
Add great dollops of guilt into the mix, and the result will be the kind of infernal circle pictured in the movie. It's enough to make Dante cry his eyes out...
Try and watch a good copy. The version I saw had problems with regard to the sharpness and resolution of the images.