Review of The Return (2006) by Eric H — 14 Jul 2008
This is one of my favorite recent supernatural thrillers. I saw it out of desperation for a film of it's type that I hadn't seen, and was pleasanty surprised. Don't let the presence of Sarah Michelle Gellar fool you.
This is not a teen horror flick, a japanese horror film, or Saw type slasher porn. It is a classic gothic type supernatural thriller in modern times. Some shock scares typical of modern films, but all within the realm of the story.
The strength of the film is that there is nothing in the film that doesn't serve the story. No useless or flashy scares injected in to keep fifteen-minute attention spans in check. I never felt like the film was trying to convince me of how important or scary it was.
The story seemed to unfold naturally, and I honestly felt for the charecters. That always makes the suspense and scares more effective. Gellar's performance is more polished and mature than anything else I've seen her in, even holding her own in her scenes with Sam Shepard.
Too many films (not always to their discredit) are just pop entertainment, so I always appreciate a class act when I see one. And this is one.
This review of The Return (2006) was written by Eric H on 14 Jul 2008.
The Return has generally received mixed reviews.
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