The Messengers

I had heard that this film was not very good. Where this statement is true, I still find that even though the plot is flimsy and the turn out in the end is lame, I still find myself selecting it from my DVR when I am bored. It could have been a decent movie about a haunted house with scary ghosties. It had quite a few creepy scenes in it that showed promise, but I believe the American audience prefers to see a reason and resolution ending with the protagonist heroic and alive. This is fortunately not found in many Japanese horror films which may be why I find them so refreshing, even if my boyfriend finds them crappy and redundant. Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

The movie begins with a right kerfuffle. An unseen assailant is hunting and ultimately killing the occupants of a farmhouse ending with the small boy who was hiding in a cupboard being pulled into his eventual fate. Then we rocket five years into the present where we find that the Solomon family is pulling up their city roots and planting them on that very same fateful farm to grow sunflowers. It is insinuated that there is a reason other than the father’s dream to grow large yellow flowers for the move. Apparently their teenage daughter Jess, had a little issue with the drinkie-drinkie and got into a little fender-bender with her younger brother in the car. Now, here is the really lame bit, the son hasn’t spoken since. What a pussy.

Once they move in, strange things begin to happen. This mainly takes the form of a shitload of crows that surround the house and on occasion attack the father. The little boy begins to see the ghosts of the house and the angst ridden lush of a daughter falls in love with a vampire… wait, wrong movie. She basically just puts up a fuss about the sounds she hears and over dramatizes everything bitching that her family doesn’t trust her because of one little drunk driving episode that left her brother mute.

The parents are oblivious to the spirits and settle into making the best of this crazy ass idea of growing sunflowers. One afternoon that guy from Northern Exposure walks onto the farm and earns himself a job and a place to stay. The activity in the house turn up to 11 and Jess experiences physical attacks by the things in the house.

I would love to give away this story, but since I kinda like it, I will respect the ending enough to not give it away. It is a very soft core horror story that is suitable for anyone who doesn’t truly like being frightened or if you have a lazy day off of work.