Matthew Ryan(Harry Treadaway) is recovering from a nervous breakdown, following the disappearance of his younger brother Tom. He returns home to the council estate where he lives with his father. Both are struggling to cope with the loss of the child, and barely talk to eachother. To make matters worse when Matthew puts on a video with news footage of Tom's disappearance, he hears his brother calling out his name. His father refuses to believe him, as does his best friend Simon. So thankfully, theres help at hand from next door neighbour Amy(Ros Leeming), who not only offers a sympathetic ear, but also points Matthew in the direction of Psychic Shelley Cartright. He visits her, and is warned that the area the council estate was built on is a cursed area. Are these events a terrible forewarning of events past, present and future or is Matthew in desperate need of medical treatment?
In an interview with the director included as an extra on the dvd, he compares his film to American blockbusters such as The Omen and Rosemary's Baby. I see more in common with the modern European and Asian horror film. It certainly tries to provide a few 'jump out of you seat' moments, and for the most part it succeeds. It certainly is quite a derivative film, drawing inspiration from films such as Ringu, The Orphanage, The Sixth Sense and What Lies Beneath. One very successful aspect for me, was the ambiguity present in the story, as for quite a while the viewer is unsure of whether the events are really happening or figments of Matthew's fragile mind.
It does take a while to get used to Treadaway's very twitchy, physical performance in the lead role, but other performers really shine, notably Greg Wise as Matthew's dad, quite a revelation and Alex Jennings as concerned youth worker Adrian Ballan.
There is also some quite beautiful cinematography on display here, and it really is a very promising feature length directorial debut from Kervorkian. It also is yet another example of how the British horror film industry is currently thriving, as I watched this immediately after another Brit shocker 'The Dead Outside'. Any film that keeps the Britiish horror flag flying is to be applauded, especially one that does it so competantly. 4 out of 5