This low-budget American film by a first-time director has the feel and pace of a European thriller or horror story; a slow burn to a depressing end. Aside from a couple of the actors, most of the cast had a fairly short history of work before this film, and the quality of the acting varies from fairly ordinary, to understated, with a few of the characters being a bit cardboard-cutout. The storyline was nothing out of the ordinary, being a pastiche of things we've seen before. Having said that, I've seen way worse movies than this. The editing and direction were quite good, considering the budget. The Egdar Allen Poe references were interesting but not over-emphasized. The scarier aspects were not overdone or played too much for cheap frights and the creepier scenes were reminiscent of The Ring.
