Jeez, what a creepy movie. I actually wished I'd seen this at some late night showing on the big screen. I'd have to give the casting director a major boo-yah since there's not a better female lead to cast in this than Nicole Kidman. I mean, she's creepy enough as it is. The irony being that my primary interest in this movie was due to my deep lust for Kidman. It also comes across as a really intense flick from the trailers.

The basic jist here is that Kidman plays the single most uptight mom in post-war England, moving herself and her two kids into a big house, where they have no electricity because when the Germans bombed them, they just learned to live without. The kids suffer from photosensitivity and they must remain in the dark as much as possible. Its a weird twist, but it makes the movie all the creepier. I'm tellin ya, I turned out all the lights while watching this, and as jaded as I am, this movie gives me the willies.

Kidman is a strict mom, reinforcing the idea of various hells to the kids in their homeschooling. When Anne, the daughter, comes across a ghost kid that used to live in the house, that kid is, in fact, stuck in hell. So like a lot of really good thrillers, it plays off existing fears ... in this case, isolation and guilt are the biggest culprits. Bottom line, this is your standard creepy house flick, and its done incredibly well. The kids are even a little creepy.

I can't give away much more than that without really taking away from it, but if you've not seen it yet and have a thing for creepy movies, this one's a must. Trust me.

Favorite non-intense part of the flick ---
Anne: And I don't believe that Noah got all those animals into one boat.
Nicholas: No, I don't believe that either.
Anne: Doves are anything but holy.
Nicholas: They poo in our windows.

I need to borrow that line one of these days.