That was an excellent one.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

While there were a few little things in this film that I think could have been improved or further explained (the ghostly owl girl for instance why?), I don't think this one was bad for a TV story. So it looks a little older, so what? It's not overloaded with digital modernity but instead relies on eerie imagery and a classic nostalgia look to it. I wouldn't call it "scary" per-say, but the way that it becomes one giant metaphor for grief and loss was interesting and creative. I think this film deserves a much better rep than what it has. It's not amazing or anything, but it's still worth having a look at.

Nutshell.Patrick Bergin plays a bereaved father racked by guilt who begins to see spooky things. He seeks the help of Vanessa Redgrave's medium and the meditation of grief and the will indeed will out!Bergin is so much better than this, why he never graduated to the bigger league is probably explained in a film like this. Where he literally is reduced to smell the fart acting, half heartedly hitting walls when his wife chastise's him for carrying such burdens on his shoulders. Redgrave literally is going through the motions, probably prompted by somebody off screen waving the cheque she is earning for this nonsense.It looks like it was filmed 20 years earlier, but not in a good way, it's devoid of scares, suspense or even intelligence (no the Lost Soul angle doesn't compensate for anything), while the dialogue is as cheese laden as the misty lenses director John Korty thinks passes for atmosphere. UGH! 2/10

This movie had potential but sadly it ended up being a bore most of the time. It really couldn't decide what type of movie it was. The video case sad Thriller, but it was more of a family drama with a touch of thriller. Vanessa Redgrave was excellent. I've seen her do better, but she was still good. A whole movie could have been made about her character. The actress that played the Mom was also good. Sadly, though, the main actor was terrible. He kept on ruining lines. He had his good moments, but sadly the bad ones keep playing in my mind. The little girl who played the youngest daughter was also terrible. Who cast her? The two scenes that are keepers are when Vanessa describes her life and why the children have come and the final scene between the father and Nikki. I have a system going with IMDb ratings. 10=4, 9=4, 8=3 1/2, 7=3, 6=2 1/2, 5=2, 4=1 1/2, 3=1, 2= 1/2 and 1=bomb. On that note, this film got 2 1/2 stars.

A predictable story. (For some reason the title is now running as: The Children of the Mist.) I kept wanting to shout to Vanessa Redgrave to "Wake UP, for heaven's sake". She seemed to be in some sort of dream state; maybe trying to forget her involvement with such a dreary production.