Okay, it’s not a great film, but wow what a cast; Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George (who I’ve made no secret about the crush I have), a young Chloe Grace Moretz, Rachel Nichols, and Philip Baker Hall.

Best on the alleged true story, we are given yet another version of the story of the Luz family who moved into a house where a horrific series of murders took place, and find themselves being consumed by the evil that resides there.

Reynolds (playing a little against type here) is George Lutz, who becomes obsessed with the house, and perhaps possessed by it, something that could destroy his entire family. George is Kathy, and little Moretz is their daughter, who has a new imaginary friend, Jody.

The controversy that has risen around the story isn’t examined, instead this is a basic retelling of Jay Anson’s book, taking everything as fact, and of course, fictionalizing some of it for dramatic purposes.

The only thing that really differentiates it from the earlier version, is the modern filmmaking. It’s not quite a beat for beat remake, but it doesn’t add much to it either.

That being said, you can see that Reynolds, George and Moretz are bringing their all to make the film work.

The family is slowly torn apart by what is going on. It’s interesting that some of the spookier things that I remember reading in the book (whether they were true or not) didn’t make it into the film. The film itself doesn’t even break the ninety minute mark, which is unfortunate because the story could have been lengthened, made even creepier.

There’s also the need, especially where modern audiences are concerned, to explain why things are the way they are, so a backstory for the house and its history is created. Sometimes it’s spookier not knowing.

If the horror can’t be understood, that makes it all the scarier.

With a stronger script, a longer runtime, and a little doubt sown in, this one could have worked a little better. Instead they settle for a straight forward haunted house story. And sadly that’s something that has been done before and better.

The ending tries to go a little too Shining, making George Lutz the villain as the house amps up its power over him. It bottoms out to silliness instead of engaging in something that could have really shook up the haunted house genre, especially since it’s a ‘true story.’

With films like The Shining, and Poltergeist (and to some degree the original version) coming before this, the film doesn’t work as well as it could have, and feels like a little bit of a let down. It could have been more than what it was.