The Messengers (2007)

Let me be a Messenger: DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE!

You'll need two cans of air freshener to neutralize the stench of this stinkeroo, which has to be one of the dumbest horror flicks I have ever seen.

(P.S. Dude, the stuff with the marauding birds has already been done. His name was Hitchcock.)

Find another way to spend 90 minutes of your life. The biggest horror to this movie would be in wasting any more time watching it.
July 4, 2008

Predictable But Well Acted

I liked this movie alot because of the actors and the suspense elements but the storyline was way to predictable and obvious, but every movie has been like that for me but if you like suspense and scares this is a great film! June 15, 2008

Rises Above Its Cliches

The title "Messengers" seems to carry a slightly religious overtone. However don't be misled by that connotation. There are no religious lessons here. The film is all about delivering scares and surprises, which it does succeed at doing occasionally, despite harboring a host of cinematic clichés.

The clichés and the borrowings from famous horror flicks include:
*An unexplained attack by a flock of crows ("The Birds")
*An isolated house, listing on its foundations, dilapidated and ominous on the outside ("Psycho") - but in this case, improbably neat and cozy inside
*A field of sunflowers (instead of the title crop in "Children of the Corn") - where things can hide, through which strange ripples pass at frightening speed
*Oozing floorboards, growing stains on the wall (every horror film ever made)
*A disaffected teenage girl (every horror film ever made)

Each of these elements might be interesting in and of itself, if we hadn't encountered it so often before and if it had some more intrinsic relation to the plot. As it is, many of these ingredients seem to be just thrown in to make a boiling pot of horror stew.

However, the film's conclusion ties things together a bit more neatly and inventively than many horror films. As this family moves from Chicago to the isolation of North Dakota to make a new start, it's worthwhile moving with them - at least for as long as this movie lasts.ghost story June 9, 2008

The Messengers

A creepy suspense thriller
this was a great movie all family would like it April 19, 2008

Above Par PG-13 Horror Flick

The Ring proved that horror movies rated PG-13 can be scary. Since then there have been oodles of movies following the format. Some have been good, some have not. The Messengers falls on the good side, in my opinion. It's not a great thriller, but it has its moments.

I agree with another reviewer that said they were tired of the Grudge-esque black and white stop motion ghosts. There are plenty of them in this movie, but the effect is slightly better than most. One particularly good scene is when Ben sees one of the ghosts in his spoon.

There were plenty of jump out and scare ya moments with a decent hit/miss ratio. A few scenes were drawn out too long, and the eventual scare doesn't amount to much.

The acting is fine...it should be with Dylan McDermott, John Corbett, and the up and coming star Kristen Stewart. Stewart stands out, but the movie is centered around her.

I enjoyed the movie. It's a pretty enjoyable 90 minutes with some good scares. April 11, 2008

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