The Messengers

The tagline for The Messengers says, "There is evidence to suggest that children are highly susceptible to paranormal phenomena. They see what adults cannot. They believe what adults deny. And they are trying to warn us."

That's a nice tease, until the adults in the movie see the ghosts, too. Also, the "messengers" are not kids; they're crows. But this is an Asian horror movie (produced by Americans, but directed by the Pang Bros. of Hong Kong, who've had hits with their Eye movies). Asian horror movies are notoriously big on suspense and scares, but not so much on sense. Fortunately, first-time screenwriter Mark Wheaton does a good job of straddling both countries' sensibilities in this PG-13 shocker. The American influence is clear in the short but sweet sequences which are distinct homages to The Birds, The Shining, and Poltergeist, and in its attempt to tie everything together at the end.

The Messengers follows the Solomon Family — Denise (Penelope Ann Miller) and Roy (Dylan McDermott), and their children, 15-year-old Jess (Kristen Stewart), and toddler Ben (Evan and Theodore Turner) — from the big city of Chicago to the remote prairies of North Dakota, where they've recently moved to make a new start. Roy wants to raise sunflowers for a living, and since Jess was becoming corrupted by bad influences, the change of pace seems like a great idea… until the ghosts who haunt their isolated home start popping out of the walls, crawling across the ceilings, and hiding in their beds.

Ben is the first to see the apparitions, but he seems to like them. He laughs and smiles every time they appear. The hideous creatures next show themselves to Jess — and more. They actually grab her, and seemingly try to kill her. Even though the terrified teen is left with bruises and cuts and scratches, no one believes her. Not even the kindly, serene farmhand they've recently hired to help with the harvest. John (John Corbett) is something of a mystery, but he seems nice enough. After he saves Jess and Ben from a particularly harrowing haunting experience, she thinks for sure he's going to side with her, but he doesn't.

How come no one believes Jess? Why don't her parents trust her? That's part of the mystery in The Messengers, but the main puzzle is the intent of the ghosts… and the crows that cling to the farmhouses' eaves, gather inside the barn, and make a general nuisance of themselves.

The crows are beautiful, majestic, and mysterious (they're actually trained ravens, and they were imported to Canada from the Czech Republic to appear in this film), and the scenes they're in are quite effective. I just wish they'd been in the story a lot more; that's part of the problem with The Messengers — it's too obvious in some aspects, but not obvious enough in others.

TV DP David Geddes does a nice job of making The Messengers look very cinematic, with beautiful composition, impressive crane shots, and a lush, deep color palette. Unfortunately, some of the sumptuous visuals are marred by black-and-white flashback sequences that are egregiously overused. (Eventually, those moments become an insult to one's intelligence.)

The acting is top-notch, and while the movie does seem rushed towards the end, fans of horror will definitely enjoy the rapid-fire shocks (kudos to The Messengers for not resorting to boo-scares and for not seeming like a PG-13 rated film).

= = =

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson