Believe

First off, the person who commented on this movie first was wrong. The movie is about Benjamin Stiles not Thad Stiles. Thad is only in the movie for a very short time, and he plays Ben's father. It's Benjamin played by Ricky Mabe who goes to live with his grandfather who he barely knows. I just wanted to clear that up. Ok...so my review....This movie was weak, weak, weak. The premise of the entire film was completely unoriginal. A ghost pops up near some big mansion, and it turns out to be the ghost of someone very close to the family in the mansion. I have seen that movie a million times with a million different titles. The acting is horrible. It seemed as tho the director got together a few people off the street who had no acting experience and made them star in his movie. The only good thing I can say about this movie is that it's shot very nicely. It has a really great look to it, and the cinematography is well done. I know it is aimed at children, but I only figured that out after seeing it. The box in the rental store made it look like a horror film for adults, not some tame ghost story you could show on the Disney Channel. Other than the overall atmosphere the film has, the only other redeeming quality if the beautiful Elisha Cuthbert who played Katherine, and did probably the best acting job in the entire film. The movie is not a horror film as the box implies, but instead a kid's ghost story that could be very watchable by children, but no other age groups. The acting and unoriginal story will be enough to keep anyone over the age of 12 away from this movie.

It's never easy being 14 years old, but it's especially tough for Ben Stiles. First, he can't seem to communicate with his absentee parents, diplomats who apparently live overseas. Then he gets kicked out of boarding school after pulling an imaginative but childish ghost prank on his classmates. He's forced to move in with an icy-tempered grandfather he barely knows. And finally he discovers his grandfather's estate is haunted by the eerie specter of a young woman in a red coat. Of course after the ghost prank, no one takes his claims seriously.

Ben (Ricky Mabe) is the point-of-view character of BELIEVE, a new horror film aimed at younger audiences and lensed by director Robert Tinnell, whose previous work includes horror fan favorite FRANKENSTEIN AND ME. Unlike FRANKENSTEIN AND ME, which was essentially a coming-of-age story with horror trappings, BELIEVE is designed to generate real chills – and it delivers. Even veteran horror fans should receive at least a few satisfying shivers from the picture.

As BELIEVE's story progresses, Ben quickly realizes his grandfather (Jan Rubes) isn't telling everything he knows about the mysterious figure in the red coat. Granddad goes ape when he discovers that Ben has enlisted the help of a neighbor girl (Elisha Cuthbert), who has also seen the ghost, in his quest for the truth. The girl's uncle (Ben Gazzara ) is equally upset by this development, and forbids her from seeing Ben. The teenagers realize that somehow their families' histories will unlock the secrets of the Stiles house, and maybe help their phantom finally find peace.

Tinnell refers to BELIEVE as `an entry level horror film.' Pressed for an explanation of this term, he explains: `There's a void for young people -- and older people, too -- who would like quality a quality supernatural experience that isn't misogynist or extremely gory. I was trying to make something like I WALK WITH A ZOMBIE that kids and adults can both look at and be scared without being steamrolled.'

Imagine George Romero shooting a movie for The Wonderful World of Disney and you have some idea of the film's tone. To achieve this effect, Tinnell asked production designer Jules Ricard to decorate his sets in the style of the classic Hammer horrors. Then Tinnell shot his movie much in the mode of Mario Bava. Viewers who know Tinnell only through FRANKENSTEIN AND ME will find BELIEVE a revelation. It's far more visually cohesive than his early work and its use of color is striking. Certainly Tinnell was well served by cinematographer Pierre Jodoin, whose work is imaginative and eloquent. Composer Jerry DeVilliers Jr. sets the mood with a truly haunting score.

Tinnell, a formidable horror film scholar in addition to a gifted young filmmaker, built in several nods toward great ghost pictures of the past. Horror aficionados will appreciate the film's visual references to movies like THE UNINVITED and THE INNOCENTS. BELIEVE also quotes from THE HORROR OF DRACULA and (of all things) THE INVISIBLE GHOST. The director confesses to influences as wide-ranging as Romero's MARTIN and THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, but his capsule description of BELIEVE is `the Hardy Boys meet Wuthering Heights.'

Tinnell had to bring in the picture on a $2 million budget and a 20-day shooting schedule. To his credit, BELIEVE looks like a much more expensive film. For what it's worth: Many horror publications, from stately Midnight Marquee to splatter-happy Fangoria, have given BELIEVE glowing reviews.

After being expelled from an exclusive boys academy for one too many practical jokes, Ben (Ricky Mabe) is sent to live with his grandfather, Jason (Jan Rubes). Upon arrival, Ben finds himself in the middle of a supernatural mystery, complete with a moaning ghost.

Teaming up with his new neighbor, Katherine (Elisha Cuthbert), Ben starts sleuthing around.

BELIEVE is a semi-spooky, humorous family film. One of the best parts involves some major payback for a pair of town bullies.

Fans of Ms. Cuthbert will rejoice, as she's in almost every scene! Co-stars Andrea Martin as a paranormal investigator.

Round up the kids and get the popcorn popping!...

i didn't find this movie too bad.i was expecting something more intense.this is a fairly family friendly ghost story and there's nothing wrong with that.Elisha Cuthbert is the leading female character,while Ricky Mabe(whose career so far has been mostly TV series and a one or two TV movies)is the lead male character.the acting is fine,and the movie has bit of an eerie feel to it.however,i didn't really buy into the reason for the ghost haunting the estate.it just seemed too weak of an explanation to me.other than that,i don't have any major gripe with movie.like i said,it's pretty lite family fare,so you want see any blood or violence,and there's no bad language that i recall.it's rated PG for thematic material,but i don't think too many children over ten would have a problem with it.for me,"Believe" is a 7/10

When I rented "Believe", I was expecting some cheesy ghost film. I was pleasantly surprised to find a good story, decent acting, and some actual chills. Even more surprising was the fact that the film makers pulled it off without graphic violence, nudity, or vulgar language which makes "Believe" a good film for the whole family to watch.

A mysterious woman in a red coat keeps making appearances at an old spooky house. Benjamin, a young man recently expelled from school for practical jokes and sent to live with his grandfather, attempts to find out who she is and how he can help her.

The house staff all know about her, but won't talk. The cranky old grandfather vehemently denies she exists. With the help of a girl who lives next door, Ben uncovers old skeletons in the family closet and a tragedy that occurred many years before.

The film is very well done highly recommended for "family movie night". Think of it as "Goosebumps" meets "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" with just a touch more maturity.