Within

There are at least 3 movies entitled "Within." This one does not involve either a haunted house or a villain who hides in a family's crawl space. It features a young girl named Rachel, who can sometimes see malevolent spirits that are invisible to the rest of the world. In the first few minutes of the movie, Rachel's mother is killed by a troubled man who appears to be controlled by one of them. After Rachel and her father relocate, Rachel discovers that an evil spirit may be responsible for a series of tragedies affecting her classmates and the community.

The movie was billed as horror and suspense, but to my disappointment, it was neither. I would call it a dark drama. I still watched the film in its entirety, because I became engaged in Rachel's fate and if/how she conquered the evil spirits. The actresses who play Rachel and mean girl Michelle are quite good for their age. They are certainly more capable than most of the adults, who are largely unknown. Rachel's father visibly shifts from one emotion to the next, Michelle's father the football coach takes "melodramatic" to a new level, and the after-school babysitter appears to be the grandmother of someone the producers owed a favor.

"Within" could have yet been a success if the direction and editing were more crisp. Long, awkward silences and obvious "enter stage left" staging constantly remind the audience they are watching a movie. Poor timing takes the fear out of intended jump scares and instead contributes to a too-slow burn. Gaping plot holes abound, particularly for the teacher's long-missing brother and each of Michelle's sisters. Way too much time is spent in conversation between 9-year-olds, regardless of how realistic it may be.

I would not pay for this movie, but I was fine watching it on Amazon Prime as I paid bills. I think a rating between 4 and 6 is fair. I ultimately chose "6" to help counteract the reviewers who assigned low ratings to the wrong movie.