The Place For The Latest Movie Reviews
Cast: Laurence Belcher, Hayley J Williams, Beth Winslet, Bonny Ambrose, Rod Hallett, Georgia Mitchell
Warped by grief after one of her twin sons dies at birth, Marie (Hayley J Williams) allows a sinister medium to use the surviving twin, Maurice (Laurence Belcher), to communicate with the other side. But danger beckons when the dead Jacques begins to sap Maurice's life force. Maurice realizes that although his ghostly brother is merely seeking the love of their parents, he intends to drag his family with him to the realm of the dead.
If you go off the trailer you might think this is an all out supernatural horror film but Shadow Within is a little more than that. As the film opens we see a woman on a table in a all white room with a nurse and a doctor assisting her. This opening scene sets the story in motion, Marie has just lost one of her twin sons at birth and what follows is a story of loss and regret. It seems she would rather of had the son she lost over her surviving son, Maurice, which is a bit creepy itself. Then there's this thing with the 9-year-old and his ability to communicate with the dead including his twin brother. There's a fair about of drama to the story but I felt it fit the supernatural side of it perfectly. You get to know the characters and even care for them in one way or another. Marie keeps Maurice sheltered from those around him but when a trio of women ask for to allow the little boy to do a séance and she gives in things begin to turn frightening. Like so many films I really didn't know what to expect from this when I sat down to watch it it but it turned out to be a much more intelligent and well-written than I expected. You could compare this to other movies like "Sixth Sense" but I don't think that is fair since this brought a lot of it's own ideas to the table and had the creepy factor turned way up. If you can get past the slow start the film has a much better pace later on but to me it was the dramatic scenes that made this that much better. There are some very creepy moments as well in the film so fans that are looking for that will be pleased. The cinematography and settings gave the film just the right atmosphere, there's almost an Art-House feel to Shadow Within but it still manages to keep mainstream friendly. Shadow Within does a great job of mixing the drama and the horror together and the cast did a terrific job at making their characters believable. If you like this sort of supernatural thriller then I suggest picking this one, it is a little gem amongst a lot of bad horror movies out there.
Released by MTI Home Video
**** Out Of *****