Cold Creek Manor

release year: 2003
genre: suspense
viewing setting: theater, 10/4/03

synopsis: A family moves from the city to the country, into a big, creepy old house, and bad things start to happen.

impressions: The trailer was misleading. It made this film out to be a supernatural thriller, maybe a haunted house movie - but it's a simple suspense/crime movie. This faulty expectation causeed me, and those I was with in the theater, to be highly disappointed. Taken as a straight suspense film, it wasn't that bad. There were spooky and intense moments. Still, we (and I think the entire audience) were expecting one thing and thus we were all disappointed - even the braying, cell-phone-having teens behind me who thought the movie was really happening.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A set of tools specifically designed to make mass killing of livestock a little easier.

acting: Dennis Quaid did a good job as a city guy who didn't always make the smart decision (wait until the movie's last fifteen minutes to see what I mean.) Sharon Stone was okay as his wife. The two kids actually turned in good perfomances. Stephen Dorff did a great job as the shady maybe-bad-guy.

final word: Entertaining, but probably only once - and don't be fooled by the trailer.

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