The Messengers (2007)

Directors:

Oxide Pang Chun
Danny Pang

Writers (WGA):

Mark Wheaton (screenplay)
Todd Farmer (story)

Release Date:

2 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There is evidence to suggest that children are highly susceptible to paranormal phenomena. They see what adults cannot. They believe what adults deny. And they are trying to warn us.

Plot:

An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder.

Plot Keywords:

Uxoricide | Evidence | Spoon | Pitchfork | Pocket Watch

Cast

Kristen Stewart	...	Jess
Dylan McDermott	...	Roy
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Denise
John Corbett	...	Burwell
Evan Turner	...	Ben
Theodore Turner	...	Ben
William B. Davis	...	Colby Price
Brent Briscoe	...	Plume
Dustin Milligan	...	Bobby
Jodelle Ferland	...	Michael Rollins
Michael Daingerfield	...	Police Officer
Tatiana Maslany	...	Lindsay Rollins
Shirley McQueen	...	Mary Rollins
Anna Hagan	...	Doctor
Blaine Hart	...	Charlie

Also Known As:

Messagers, Les (Canada: French title)
Scarecrow (International: English title) (working title)
The Untitled Pang Brothers Horror Project (USA) (working title)
Totem (International: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing violence and terror.

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe) | Black and White (flashback scenes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:18PL | France:-12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Brazil:12 | Argentina:16 | Chile:14 | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42010) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Company:

Scarecrow Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Scout Taylor-Compton auditioned for the role of Jess.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time Jess goes to the feed store, the first time we see the bulletin board there is no blood drive notice on it, after she goes to look at it, the blood drive notice has appeared.

Quotes:

Jess: [to her brother] Where are they? What do you see?

Movie Connections:

References Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002)

Soundtrack:

All My Dreams Are Coming True

Not great, but not too bad

There is evidence to suggest that children... would really rather watch something else.

As suspense/horror movies go, this one isn't amazing. Its hardly original; more like Hitchcock's The Birds meets Verbinski's The Ring. Honestly. Its a perfect combination of the two.

Personally I'd recommend watching the afore mentioned separately, each being better alone than this film. Really, the only thing it seems to have in abundance OTHER than unoriginality, is cheap pop-out scares. I mean, yeah, its kinda fun the first time or two... but after about half a dozen, you start to wonder if there is anything else to be had.

The acting wasn't entirely horrible, I'll admit to that much. The Turner kids who played Ben are certainly entertaining to watch, giving a cute contrast to the grungy atmosphere of the movie. Cancer Man... wait... no, sorry, William Davis could have done better in my opinion, as could Miller... but considering the type of movie this is, one doesn't have a lot of room to nitpick.

As a quick side note, I DO commend this movie for not being gratuitously gory. Its rare to find modern movies in this genre that don't blatantly use blood and guts to invoke fear.

All in all, this movie isn't the worst of its kinda, but it is in no way the best. If you want cheap, minimal-gore thrills that will make you jump, go see it. If you're looking for a deeper, more thought-provoking thriller... I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.