I thoroughly enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it ten years ago. The film reminded me of some of my favorite Hitchcock flicks, namely Shadow of a Doubt and Notorious. The story builds slowly and generates just enough paranoia of impending danger to keep the audience interested. By the time everything comes together, the audience has an emotional investment in the main character and experiences genuine anxiety at her ordeal. This is so refreshingly different from the movies that slice and dice cardboard characters in an attempt to generate suspense.<br /><br />After seeing how poorly people have reacted to this film, I revisited it to see if my memory served me correctly. My assessment remains the same. Jessica Lange gives a stellar performance as the homicidal control freak. Gwyneth Paltrow is easy to empathize with as the paranoid daughter-in-law. Nina Foch is hysterical as the cheerful old lady who knows all the family secrets. I have met each of these characters in the real world. The only reason I would hesitate to call this a masterpiece is because there is no Hitchcock cameo. Still, this is a worthy imitation of the master's work.