A troubled woman named Alison Callaway (Amy Irving) is discovered in her bathtub dead where she apparently committed suicide and her husband David (Robert DeNiro found her as well as his duaghter Emily (Dakota Fanning).
Emily is disturbed by this and doesn't say a word as she spends some time in a child's treatment centre.

After she is out her and David move to a land with woods and a river. Emily tells her dad that she made a new friend named Charlie but doean't want to reveal him too much.

They are greeted by a kind lady who is their neighbor named Laura (Melissa Leo) and then he meets a beautiful lady named Elizabeth (Elizabeth Shue) with a daughter near Emily's age and they go to their place but Emily doesn't say a word and creeps Elizabeth's daughter out.

Elizabeth starts dating David but Emily says that Charlie doesn't like this.
Plus there's threatening red letters marked in the bathroom to David but Emily says it's all of Charlie's doing.

Emily also plays hide and seek with Charlie which leads to something deadly as well as she does sketch art with Charlie doing his killings.
However, Alison's death wasn't what it seemed to be.

A well focused beginning to the story in which a family woman Allison Callaway is in a park with her daughter Emily on a merry go round which seemed to look fairly energetic to watch along with nice shots on all of this.

Then when night happens she is tucking her daughter on bed peacefully. She makes out that this will be the last time she will see her do that.
Allison's husband David arrives home in which the two of them have a conversation which seems very still and depressing to watch as well. It was well set throughout all of this.

Afterwards when Allison is making out that she is taking a bath David goes into the bathroom with the curtain closed. This was well focused when things are silent as well as him realising something shicking when he opens the drapes. All of this was well focused for a beginning on a horror story. Plus a good moment when Emily steps in and stares emotionless. Plus great shots on her doing this.
This was a classic scene to watch for sure.

While both David and Emily move to their new home, Emily wanders into the woods with a good shot on her going to some sort of a cave along with her father putting up stuff in his room during this moment. Certainly leaves off a good mysterious moment for what we spot here.

David goes to their bathroom with a good shot on him opening some shower drapes and candles around a bathtub with threatening scrawled letters on the tile walls. This for sure left a great spooky feel to all this.
During this moment it involves him asking Emily about it and she talks about her imaginary friend doing it adding a nice mysterious horror moment to the story.

Afterwards, a nice happy scene when we see the nextdoor neighbor Laura introducing herself with a gift as this makes you really want to be friends with her by how it was all set out and could tell this lady had an upsetting past with a child when she tries to warm up to little Emily. Kinda makes you feel like feeling sad for her.

David gets aquainted with a local Elizabeth in which this was a nice attention grabber offering some nice charm. This scene looked fairly uplifting to watch through.

He invites her over to his house with a decent discussion between them when they discuss on what happened to their marriages.
Meanwhile, a good moment by Elizabeth's daughter Amy in a bedroom trying to be friendly to Emily yet she acts cold towards her not giving her attention which looks disturbing when someone tries to be nice to another. When this girl tries to talk to her after showing her a dool she owns, a good shot on her head turned. This is always a good classic horror moment that something unpleasant is going to occur.
A good shot on Amy storming out the door in a hurry to get away from the house. Another impressive situation in a horror flick that involves a disturbed child.

It's late at night and Emily running around the house and opening up closet doors playing hide and seek. Well focused shots on all this. Suddenly a terrific jumping moment with her slowly walking into a basement and turns the light on. Then when you least expect it, the electricity goes out.

A perfect moment with David trying to demand Emily on who Charlie is and she chants his name out repeatedly. This looked like a perfect psychotic and intense moment wondering as to what is wrong with this child. Is she a psycho????

Elizabeth is invited to David's home for dinner in which Emily just gets cold and sneers at her as well as wearing something creepy. With what this disturbed child tells her makes things even more unpleasant towards her. For sure leaves a cold and dark feel to this scene.

David arrives at Laura's house with a pie in return on doing something generous with their good discussions in her home.
She tells him about the toys that they kept in the house and then she starts to cry as this was nicely put into the story of a hidden past. This moment truly makes you feel sorry for this poor woman.

It's night time again and Elizabeth goes to their house again but is greeted by Emily in which she asks where her Dad is. THis makes things really creepy since he is not anywhere in sight. She tries to tell this child that she's not trying to get in between her and her father. THis for sure looked very settling by how this is discussed.
The two of them decides to play a game of hide and seek in which Elizabeth herself goes to Emily's closet and is about to oipen it. This left a chill down my spine on what I had a feel as to what will happen. There's a perfect shot on Elizabeth opening up a closet door and then screams with the camera shooting towards her and falling back through a window. All of this looked perfectly terrorising.

When the unsolves mysteries on the terror that came to be was fully action packed in which some of the moments were borrowed a bit from The Shining. It was done in great style though. Plenty of terrorising situations till the near end of the flick.

Bottom line is that this is a great horror flick that works on it's own and doesn't compare to any other horror film. I just returned from the theatre while reviewing this now and it is very spooky. I'd advise this film to any horror fans and can tell you that this one will for sure be a classic!

The acting is terrific! Robert DeNiro (David Callaway) is always a natural character actor playing the understanding father who sometimes loses it. There's a great devastated reaction on him after someone is dead in a bathtub. He does well at acting sympathic as a family man. He's decent by getting aquainted with others and trying to strike up a conversation. Does well by having a scolding reaction in a certain scene of the story. Shows off a great menacing attitude quarter way through the film. He really knew on how to get menacing during a certain moment with someone else getting aggressive towards him.

Child star Dakota Fanning (Emily Callaway) really brought her character to life. She is terrific with her disturbed attitude and emotions. There's a good expressionless presence by her standing in the doorway after something devastating happened. Shows nice wide eyed expressions as if she really was disturbed in the child treatment centre. Reacts well by being depressed at a dinner table and is impressive by acting that way. She shows a good and still attitude talking about Charlie which has a good horror acting style and does well crying about him. Also does well by acting quiet and disturbed when she's introduced to someone else. Is good having a silently cold attitude towards someone at the dinner table.

Elisabeth Shue (Elizabeth) was terrific as the nice girlfriend and always liked her work ever since I saw her in the Karate Kid. Offers a great enthusiastic and charming personality. Makes her part truly likeable. Has a good patient and warm type of behavior too within her discussions. She does well by screaming after opening a closet door.

Famke Janssen (Katherine) does well as a social worker of some kind. Was clear with her speaking and has a real nice behavior. She perfectly shows it off well as a helpful kind. Was sharp within her performance especially near the end of the flick when she tries to come to the rescue. A great character actress.

I also really liked the suppporting role of the next door neighbor played by Melissa Leo (Laura) as it makes you really want her. A nice presence by her introducing herself with a housewarming gift as she makes herself a believably nice neighbor and shows a nice warm attitude. She is great by breaking down and crying as if you'd want to help her out during another scene that brings back a sad memory for her.

It's also nice to see Amy Irving (Allison Callaway) working again as I only remember her in certain films like Carrie and it's sequel The Rage doing a nice job with her depressed attitude. She for sure does well with her quiet attitude as well as acting emotionless. Offers great style even if her role wasn't very big.

No gore except for some blood and a dead cat along with the odd horror violence.

John Ottman  does a nice classical score for this film with some horn playing and of course the violin music. He also had some good thumping sounds too that will make you jump. Plus alot of screeching sounds with powerful and loud trombone music along with more fast violin and other classical sounds for the terrors that are to be.

Dr. Richard Goodman: We're gonna move, out of state - country.
Dr. Katherine Carson: What about Emily? This is a traumatic time for her. I think it's important she stays here and works through this.
Dr. Richard Goodman: No, here she's flooded with memories. Right now, I need to be a full-time dad.

Emily Goodman: Let's just hope you don't end up like her.

Emily Goodman: Three one thousand. Four one thousand. Five one thousand. Six one thousand. Seven one thousand. Eight one thousand.
Dr. Richard Goodman: Hey!
Emily Goodman: Nine one thousand.

Emily Goodman: Charlie. Come out, come out wherever you are.

Sheriff Hafferty: Neighbor called. Said there was a problem. Whatcha drawing there?
Emily Goodman: You. Dying.