this movie be so dare it doesn not attempt to hide it similarity to the shining . it lack the originality to do so . and when it do and near the end and try to cover up it story of father go psycho under influence of sketchy haunt house in a foreign place and it do so by stoop to plenty of other already establish convention and idea . in other word and it reduce itself to mere cliche . but hell and even i enjoy a good predictable horror or thriller as long a there be an interesting story and one fill with violence and gore and somewhere before the film make the dreadful turn towards the predictable and trite . well and this film doesn not have a good story and i be really disappointed with it . what darkness have go for it be remarkable direction and cinematography . it be a film well shot and carefully construct full of fun and creepy angle and shot . what darkness doesn not have go for it be pretty much everything else . to begin with a minor quibble the editing in this movie be obnoxious . it jump from one scene to the next and sometimes pointlessly . for example and the old man in the movie ( who pretty much carry the background story and later fill in by another character ) be underscore by a hamster run circle . i mean and it look cool the first time and but why continue to use the same image . i guess you would have to see it for yourself and to understand what i mean . another problem with this movie be anna paquin character who essentially whine throughout the film and cry and care all too much about everything she the film fail attempt at a character drive horror film . the movie have scene of overblown sentimentalism and the family drama it depict be simply not believable . by the end and darkness be a muddled melodrama and with a non involve mystery provide with too simple of an end . and it hardly scary .