Grindstone Road (2007)

The Sloan's young son Daniel has been in coma for an extended period of time following a car accident. Hannah, who was driving at the time of the accident, is suffering a great deal of guilt and depression. Shortly after moving into a newly purchased farmhouse, strange occurrences begin to happen. Hannah's husband, Graham, concerned with the increasing quantity of anti-depressants Hannah is taking, along with her stories of mysterious incidents at the house, turns to Ted and Linda, the older couple next door for support. Even though they may seem like friendly neighbours eager to help, sinister motives lie behind their pleasant demeanor. Product Description

Has its Moments

Grindstone Road will not score any points for originality; the plot and the "twist" at the end have been used and re-hashed quite a few times. But there is something eerie about this film - the way that it is delivered, perhaps, that makes it worthwhile. Fairuza Balk is toned down a bit (at least during the first half of the movie) and has lost that famous scowl from her younger days. Here, she convincingly plays a grieving mother, and since the film involves a total of about six characters, the success of the film rests on Balk's shoulders, and she delivers a steady performance. I have always considered Fairuza Balk, Asia Argento, and Parker Posey to be very underrated actors. But here, she gets a boost from the eerie atmosphere of the film's setting. This movie is strikingly similar to "Danika" is you have not seen that one. This one winds up somewhere between a remake of The Ring and Godsend. If you combine those two films with a cheaper budget, you've got this one. This is purely a genre flick, so if you are a fan of Balk or the genre in general, pick this up. If not, you will probably not like the movie. October 21, 2008

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