Being closed and isolated from the other world, people who live in the isolated island in Pennsylvania, where people follow restricted rules, as it is forbidden for all people out of the village to enter the village, struggle against the strange man who breaks the rules, the thing that makes the life of people in danger.
Shyamalan, far from being a master of suspense, hasn't yet figured out that the shadowy things you glimpse out of the corner of your eye are always scarier than those you're allowed to gaze upon directly.
Shyamalan remains ever the master of mood and of unseen, inchoate menace; he can give depth and gravity to scenes that in other hands would be either boring or ridiculous.
For those who just want a good scare, rest assured the best (and worst) of it comes across as Wait Until Dark meets The Blair Witch Project.
Urban Cinefile
October 18, 2008
M. Night Shyamalan keeps the story vague enough to work up to his plot twist, and while I won't reveal it here, I will say that I don't think the payoff is worth it.
