M. Night Shayamalan's latest offering The Happening is what we have come to expect. It's said nothing can compare to The Sixth Sense, and The Happening certainly doesn't; however I don't think it deserves the harsh criticism it has received.

The Happening is an apocalyptic sci-fi tale; a deadly outbreak starts in New York, and quickly spreads to the West Coast. There are three stages in the illness; confused speech, loss of orientation then death, often by suicide. Our story centres on a family tries trying to escape to safety in a remote area.

As usual, Shayamalan sets up a great 'what-if' storyline. I'm told the set-up can be the most important part of a thriller, and he accomplishes it brilliantly. The problem being the pay-off is less than substandard. The creepy build up of tension and the premise are both excellent, and give moments of true effectiveness. The film devolves into a road trip movie, running away from the outbreak trying to find somewhere safe. You almost wonder whether some scenes are intended as satire with the actors almost hamming it up.

I think the conclusion here is that the film had great potential, it's just not as good as it could have been. I think you need to see it, just to see what all the negative press is about! As Neil Davey says, "It's still probably better than The Village."

During these types of films, I am the person providing the comedic element to your film group experience. I am the girl sitting near you, crouched down in my seat, short shallow breaths, high pitched shrieks in the scary bits and showing signs of fear that the vengeful female spirit with long black hair and dark circles under her eyes will jump/crawl/drag her way out of the screen and into my life.

While driving down a dark, unfamiliar road at night, Ben and Jane Shaw (Jackson and Taylor) run over a woman who appears out of nowhere. Afterward, there's no sign of a body, but strange things start happening to the couple. Ghostly apparitions appear in their photographs and Jane has visions of the woman she believes she killed. Ben, who ain't afraid of no ghosts, tries to reason with his wife until he has a very personal encounter with the dead woman in his dark room.

Like The Ring and The Grudge (some say perhaps too much like these films), Shutter is an American remake of an Asian horror film. And like these films, Shutter is also full of inconsistencies and seems to change the rules every few moments to conform with whatever new twist it wants to throw in. That said, Shutter is only 85 minutes long so it's over before you really begin to think about it. Make sure you see this film, or just come along to watch me, ; either way, you'll be entertained.