Desperate for a fresh start after a tough two years in Chicago, the Solomon family retreats to a desolate sunflower farm in North Dakota. But the calm of farm life is shattered when 16-year-old Jess (Kristen Stewart) and her 3-year-old brother Ben begin to see nightmarish apparitions throughout their new home – visions that nobody else can see. As the visions grow darker, they become fear-inspiring experiences and Jess’ parents (Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller) start to question their daughter’s sanity. Now, Jess must find a way to save her family and win
Amazon.com
Lithe and tomboyish Kristen Stewart (Panic Room, The Safety of Objects) anchors the derivative but potently atmospheric horror movie The Messengers. The story--a troubled family moves into one of those creepy farmhouses that scream "serial murder site" and find their lives disturbed by unearthly occurrences--is a puree of plot elements from The Sixth Sense, The Birds, The Amityville Horror, The Shining, the recent spate of Japanese horror remakes, and more. Despite this, the movie may get under your skin; between the bleached sunlight, the effective ambient sound, and scenes that linger unexpectedly on quiet suspense, The Messengers creates a vivid and unsettling mood. There are still plenty of the abrupt jolts that make teenager girls clutch their dates, but this artful creepiness--combined with Stewart's engaging presence--will have a longer effect. Also featuring Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's Way), and John Corbett (Northern Exposure, Sex and the City). Directed by the Pang Brothers, the duo responsible for Hong Kong hits like The Eye and Infernal Affairs. --Bret Fetzer
Beyond The Messengers at Amazon.com
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Stills from The Messengers (click for larger image)
Customer Reviews
messengers - Reviewed on 2008-08-25
The movie Messengers was predictable, which made it not very scarey.You figure out the ending long before it ends and that ruins the movie. BP
Nothing Original, but well executed - Reviewed on 2008-08-22
This is a haunted house story, plain and simple - but it's refreshing to see one with a decent cast and so well executed. The story is nothing new - family from the city move to country to escape their family problems... house they get turns out to have a past, and may be haunted.
There are no big gore moments, but plenty of atmosphere created by carefully NOT showing you everything for much of the movie, so that when something is seen, the effect is maximized. The ending is not much of a surprise, but the tension mounts thanks in particular to a good turn from Kristen Stewart as Jess, the teenager.
All in all, quite routine, but efficient enough to be worth a watch if you like the haunted house genre.
Barely 3 stars, sat through it with a teen - Reviewed on 2008-08-07
2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
When I see a horror movie, it has to have something that grabs me- great special effects, strong story line, great characters...SOMETHING. This movie told a story but it wasn't compelling.
Basically, a family moves to the country to "start over" and their daughter is clearly in trouble but you don't know exactly why or what she has done. There is tension between the parent and the teen daughter. Pretty typical for some movies in this genre - harsh parents, misunderstood teen. Nothing original there.
Then there are the usual creepy happenings, ghosts that can be seen only by the youngest member of the family, who (conveniently) doesn't speak due to past trauma. I kept wondering why the kid didn't speak but only found out later the reasons why he was mute. That was confusing.
Finally, when everything finally comes together and all the mysteries are solved, it isn't enough to make for a compelling movie. There is the usual blood and gore and violence but none of it added up to a scare fest worth sitting through. You can do much better.
Having noted that, all the actors were competent in their roles. I just don't think they had much to work with here. Too bad, because Penelope Ann Miller is a favorite of mine and I generally root for Dylan McDermott too. Next time around, I hope they have better scripts.
Let me be a Messenger: DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE! - Reviewed on 2008-07-04
1 customer found this review not to be helpful.
You'll need two cans of air freshener to neutralize the stench of this stinkeroo, which has to be one of the dumbest horror flicks I have ever seen.
(P.S. Dude, the stuff with the marauding birds has already been done. His name was Hitchcock.)
Find another way to spend 90 minutes of your life. The biggest horror to this movie would be in wasting any more time watching it.
Predictable But Well Acted - Reviewed on 2008-06-15
1 customer found this review not to be helpful.
I liked this movie alot because of the actors and the suspense elements but the storyline was way to predictable and obvious, but every movie has been like that for me but if you like suspense and scares this is a great film!
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