The Beacon (2009)

THE HAUNTING AT THE BEACON is a very ordinary ghost story about a grieving family who move into a new and haunted home. The scares are diluted and way too much of the screen time is taken up with lame dialogue, but I suppose as haunted house films go it could be worse. At least the film-makers avoid the usual clichés for the most part, but at the same time they deliver a film in which nothing really happens.Teri Polo and her on-screen husband play some dull-beyond-belief characters who don't deserve a movie to themselves because they hold zero interest. The only face who raises a smile is that of genre legend Michael Ironside, but sadly he gets very little screen time playing one of a number of cops. One of the notable scare sequences at the climax of the movie makes use of some special effects that had me laugh out loud rather than scared; they look like they belong in an old episode of the MONSTERS TV show rather than a supposedly serious horror flick...

The film really did have a good creepy feel to it. It can leave the viewer feeling somewhat scared and it does get better near the end. The movie is also very suspenseful and leaves you waiting till the very end to see what the heck is going on. All the acting was pretty good, especially from Teri Polo who had the main role. Most of the story seemed to fit but certain things were placed in the film that really didn't need to be there. One scene had to do with Marnette Patterson's character near the end. Also there was about two or so minutes at the end of the movie that didn't need to be there. They couldn't of stopped at one point, but they had to take it just a little farther and to me it seemed like it almost ruined it. The film was decent but I did want more out of the scare factor.

While trying to get their lives back on track after the loss of their four year old son, Bryn and Paul Shaw move to the charming old Beacon Apartments...So, you have this film known as "The Beacon" that comes out in 2009. The DVD does not get released until 2011, and then they retitle it "Haunting at the Beacon" (which I actually think is a weaker name). And before the DVD even gets out, they are playing it on Netflix, more or less undermining any reason to be excited about the DVD (if you were).What would draw someone to this film? I was a bit happy to see Michael Ironside, a horror staple for thirty years, play a small role here. And you might care that this film was made in an allegedly haunted hotel in Texas. That personally meant nothing to me, but fans of "Ghost Hunters" might think otherwise... or maybe you are a fan of Teri Polo from "Meet the Parents"? The film is a bit of a snoozer, at least for the first half. We have a mom who sees a ghost child and those around her think she is crazy, just having symptoms of guilt from when she let her own child die. The plot is nothing special, it does not come off as very original, and some of the character motivations seem odd (such as the pill-popping cop who follows up on a case for no reason -- and what are her pills?) The second half is both redeeming and destructive. The pace increases, there is a cool scene with scissors as a set piece (also the best gore of the film). And after a twist or two (which I cannot reveal) the story finally becomes interesting. The problem? We find out after the twist about many, many plot holes. I would love to go through about five of them here, but cannot without revealing the film's secret. Let me just say this movie works best if you do not think about it.If you like the movie enough to own it, I will tell you that it features an audio commentary, but not much else. That might clear up certainly plot problems, though I doubt it (I must confess I own the disc but have not given it a second viewing yet). My advice is to avoid it or to simply watch on Netflix...

I had high hopes for this movie, it has a couple of well known actors and a decent premise but overall it was very disappointing. The movie was predictable and not one bit scary or even creepy, it was a struggle to watch. For any hardcore horror movie fan, the ending will have you rolling you eyes. You can see every startling moment coming from a mile away not only from the music but also the overused look in the mirror then looking back at the mirror and there is a figure there or the camera pans over past the actor/actress to show a ghostly figure in the shadows. Less is more and suspense is everything in a genuinely scary movie, Never give away to much to fast or you will lose the suspense and the films ceases to be scary. Do yourself a favour and skip this bland horror movie.