Review of The Pact (2012) by Manon M — 10 Nov 2012

An atmospheric haunted-house mystery that manages to mix classically constructed shocks into the world of today. In the opening scene a woman is having a video-chat with her daughter and the little girl looks into the computer's camera and casually asks her mother: "Mommy, who is that behind you?" And the game is afoot.

The horror in The Pact mixes the supernatural and the "real," combining slick-looking, computer-generated fright sequences with old-fashioned makeup and blood-bags. Even more effective is the way McCarthy holds on black screens between some scenes, extending the audience's anxiety for what he'll reveal when he cuts to the next shot. There is a lack of music during the film, which is fantastic - the film mainly relies on sounds and a few very atmospheric, dark and very intense musical notes.

Well, the middle is a bit baggy (as if it didn't have enough material) and the third act get slightly ridiculous the more the film descends from suggestion to explication, the scares regrettably slink away - nevertheless, it keeps you jumpy. The opening, though, does work perfectly, with amazing gliding camera movements.

Not the best and with a few weaknesses, but quite a scary low-budget horror movie. McCarthy throws in enough shivery details - eerie phone messages, elliptically passing shadows and a mysterious figure slithering like a snake through a tiny entranceway - to keep you agreeably tense.