I wasn't expecting a lot from this film, but I was disappointed even so. From the beginning it can't seem to find what it really wants to do, which is unfortunate because it's a kind of interesting premise...but only 'kind of', which dooms it from the outset when coupled with its lacking script and subpar acting.<br /><br />Unfortunately the only really interesting things in this film are the things that they tend to crib from other, better films and stories. And although it does have some pretty well-known actors who generally are known to be able to act, this just never quite comes together, which makes it seem like a serious problem with direction. For example, Christopher McDonald's character -- the presumed 'hero' Hugh Stanton -- is played so broadly that he is practically a poster child for the obnoxious American stereotype. And it's not really his fault so much as the fact that he is given so disastrously little to work with.<br /><br />Similar is every other character; while Rachael Leigh Cook does a rather good job with her Lucy Stanton (a character unfortunately and implausibly called 'Luce' and pronounced 'loose' by her father), she has very little to do but be a victim of her father's obnoxiousness and some sort of bizarre Satanic cult that is only given a raison d'etre in the last twenty minutes. Maximilian Schell's rather good acting is wasted in his predictable yet nonsensical role. The rest of the cast do decent enough jobs but are given pathetically little real role in anything happening and are often disposed of in comically ridiculous ways.<br /><br />The story is just not engaging or tense, and there isn't really a moment where it's anything but boring. This is a serious shame because the premise could have been very suspenseful, but it wasn't even remotely realised. Although most of the effects are somewhere significantly less than special, the monstrous 'blanks' were extremely striking but unfortunately went completely wasted. Similarly wasted was so much potential with the rest of the film, where often things set up to happen ended up fizzling before they got there.<br /><br />The music varies between zany and irritating, which is noteworthy since Hugh is a music teacher. Some of the moments that were supposed to have been scary or striking simply sound like someone hit the Drama Button, eliciting laughter instead of a scream or a jump.<br /><br />Overall this film is so inane that, at times, it is blatantly offensive to its viewer. It's not because of any religious undertones (although those are botched too), but instead because of the extremely regrettable fact that this script was not anywhere near as engaging as it should have been. It meanders, teases, and seems to forget itself within mere lines of self-contradiction. The acting is uneven, even for the several experienced actors involved, and all in all it is a wasted opportunity that ends up being similarly a complete waste of time.<br /><br />It's a pity. With a decent cast and a decent premise, sometimes even a bad script or lacking direction can be overcome. Not so in this case.