The Pact (2012)

To finish off August I'm going to look at a film I wanted to review last year but didn't due to...something, I can't really remember what. So let's have a look at the film which MSN movies gave four stars.

Following the death of her mother and the disappearance of her sister (Agnes Bruckner), Annie (Caity Lotz) goes to her late mother's house. However there is something strange happening in that house, and in order to investigate it Annie might have to dig into the dark secrets of her family's past.

The story, is okay. The main problem is that there are a few too many slow moments which feel out of place. However, while the film does start off slow, once it picks up the pace it is quite enjoyable. And the scares can actually be scary, the problem though is that some of the time when you think about it, the scares don't really make sense. Most of the time you'll be thinking "*Gasp!*...So?" Some bits do make more sense as the film goes on though. Oh, by the way, that 'scare' on the poster which is ripping off 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'? You know, this one?

Yeah, doesn't happen.

The acting, again it's like the story, slow but once the movie gets going, in particular Caity Lotz. I wasn't really that impressed with her at first, but, again, as the film went on she got a Hell of a lot better. Casper Van Dien meanwhile (Yes, Rico from Starship Troopers), you know what, bless him, he is a professional, he gave this film a good performance, but most of the time you get the feeling he doesn't really know why he's there. The only other performance was Harley Hudson, who played Stevie, and that's because I was wondering if she was doing a good performance or a bad performance, I just can't tell.

Despite that, I really can't tell you anything about the characters, because I don't really learn anything about them. I know that Creek (Van Dien) is a police officer who has a personality which is somewhat not expected. For Stevie I can see shades of Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer but, obviously, not as good. The most developed character is Annie, but even then there are huge chunks of her you don't learn about. You do get a hint that she's an ice queen whose heart grows three times when she is forced to take care of her niece (Dakota Bright), but the niece is easily forgotten about it and is kept out of the film for a big chunk of it.

In all honesty, it's a pretty decent film to watch. It certainly has it flaws, but at the end of the day it's one of the better horror films of the modern age. The opening scene is the best part as it manages to develop the character and generate chills down your spine, but it then feels like it stalled and had to stutter back to life. If you have a chance, give it a try, but don't expect it to haunt your nightmares.