Film Review: The Messengers

The Messengers is the American debut of international award winning twin directors Danny and Oxide Pang (Bangkok Dangerous, The Eye). The film follows the story of a family of four - father Roy (Dustin McDermott), mother Denise (Penelope Ann Miller), daughter Jess (Kristen Stewart), and son Ben (Evan & Theodore Turner) - who move into a dilapidated farmhouse in North Dakota to try and restart their lives. Jess and Ben soon discover that they are not alone in the house, and since Ben cannot speak, it is up to Jess to try and be the voice of reason for her family, discover what is happening in their new home, and ensure the safety of her loved ones.

The Pang Brothers have a natural talent for creating absolute beauty out of the most mundane of settings. Even the ramshackle farmhouse of the film can be viewed as a sign of beauty. The ominous crows that flock by the hundreds to the property serve as a stark contrast to the lovely imagery on display in The Messengers. These clever sibling directors also possess a mastery of a rather unpopular, yet effective, skill of horror film making: the jump scare. Many people may be bothered by the sudden appearance of a loud noise or fast movement, but the Pang Brothers take what is sometimes considered a cheap trick and use it as a tool to build suspense. When the film slows down, the viewer should be prepared for an intense, slow-burning sensation rarely captured in modern horror films.

The other side of the coin, however, is how commonplace many of the Pang Brothers' techniques have become in American horror cinema. With the international success of horror films such as The Ring and Ju-On: The Grudge and the inevitable Hollywood remakes, the market has become over-saturated with these deeply Asian-themed horror films. The presence of an otherworldly spirit as a dense, plodding, deformed, vengeful creature with jet black hair and stark white skin is unfortunately as common as promiscuous teenagers hunted by a masked killer. While the use of these ghost figures in the film The Messengers is ultimately successful, many may leave the theater wondering what was so special or unique about this experience.

The uniqueness of The Messengers lies in the strengths of the Pang Brothers as directors: great camera-work, strong performances, and an emphasis on telling a cohesive and believable story. The cast is universally excellent, creating a tight-knit portrait of a family on the verge of collapse. The biggest stand out is sixteen year old Kristen Stewart, who commands the film with a presence and strength normally reserved for actors more than twice her age. The performances enhance the fact that, much like previous Pang Brothers' films, the story is not as simple as a trailer would lead you to believe. The Messengers may be based around a haunted house concept, but the true heart of the film is a taut drama that easily could have carried a far longer film without any supernatural elements. The straining relations between everyone in the family over a slowly revealed recent event that drastically changed their life brings far more suspense, tension, and shock than any clever horror contrivance could ever strive to do.

The film The Messengers is a startlingly good suspense film with plenty of scares, great visuals, and a wonderful story. Prepare to clutch onto the sides of the movie theater's chair as the Pang Brothers continually ratchet up the tension until it reaches a resolution that must be seen to be believed.