- I can't, I can't remember
- We need your help so we can find the other children
- A house
- What?
- They took us to a house
- Who?
- I don't know... people
- Do you think the other children are still there? Do you think they've been hurt?
- Yes
So begins this voyage into darkness. While these words are uttered by an infant boy, the screen is only black and the slight quiver in his voice as he utters the final "yes" is enough to send shivers down a dinosaur's spine.
The plot is actually choke full of clichés and there's nothing that you haven't really seen before, but this time everything just works. From the haunted house, the ancient rituals and menacing evil, to the old book with all the answers... it just clicks.
It being a film that's basically about actual darkness, the sound designers worked overtime to create a somewhat unique experience, where the thrills lies more in what you hear than what you see. Scratches and chirps and thumps in the night are joined by slithering whispers and crawling footsteps, shaping images in your head that gives you that feeling that something terrible is always just out of sight.
Make sure you pay attention to the dialogue though, as one of the very last lines is what really drives the nail and solidifies its status as a true classic.
IMDB
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