Short Review

A teenage girl (Emily Browning), still traumatized by the death of her mother, suspects Dad’s new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) of plotting to kill her and her sister (Arielle Kebbel). The script by Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard says it’s based on a Korean film, but its best feature—the climactic twist—is actually lifted from … but no, that would give away too much; let’s not ruffle the Spoiler Police. Suffice it to say that it’s from a novel (and movie) old enough that the present crew could be sure their audience had never heard of it—they may not have heard of it themselves, memories (and literacy) being what they are in Hollywood. Aside from what’s been stolen, the movie is standard stuff—cheap scares, arch menace and creepy music, with formulaic direction by the Guard brothers.