[Fragile: A Ghost Story]
Plot:A young nurse (Calista Flockhart) is sent to Mercy Falls children hospital from London to help out. Once she arrives, she notices the children are frightened of a supernatural presence. A presence which is connected to a secret within the hospital.

Cast: Calista Flockhart, Yasmin Murphy, Elena Anaya, Gemma Jones, Richard Roxburgh, Colin McFarlane, Michael Pennington, Daniel Ortiz.

My Thoughts:What is it with the spanish and the supernatural?

Review:After seeing "The Nun" (rolls eyes), I was pretty turned off to supernatrual horror films coming out of Spain. While they do make great movies (Pans Labyrinth for example) in the horror genre....the ghost tale seems to elude them for some reason. "Fragile" racks another shrimp on the bar-b and while it's not nearly the colossal suckfest that "The Nun" was....it still doesn't deliver. The movie follows the spirit of a young girl which haunts a childrens hospital. A supposedly violent spirit although it doesn't really go Mike Tyson on anyone until late in the picture. But writer/director Jaume Balaguero makes sure to establish the fear that the children have for the vengeful spirit.

But unlike in most movies where that sort of thing works (Candyman 2 for example), in this film it wears thin fast. Most of the movie consists of people acting strange, and avoiding getting too in depth about anything haunting the place. Despite the fact that they all know or atleast somewhat believe that "she" is "around." Deny and evade by hospital staff and other adults eats up alot of this films time, and it isn't until the new nurse Amy Nicholls (Calista Flockhart) starts communicating with the children that they begin to open up to her about the evil little girl with the mechanical like legs that haunts the hospital.

I guess the Spanish prefer style more than substance, which is what us americans like most. "Fragile" is certainly very atmospheric with it's dark spooky hallways, elevator shafts, basements, etc....but most of the films opportunities to scare the ever loving shyt out of you amount to nothing but teases and empty promises. Flockhart does her best to keep the film interesting as she comes off as a caring yet somewhat depressed and troubled woman, and as a viewer you sort of wonder when we will get to the bottom of her story...but there's not much backing her up in the terms of the films supporting cast.

Which is quite weak and very thin. Another big issue with "Fragile" is the ghost herself. The kids talk of her being frightening, angry, and of course they're afraid of her but this film even lacks the usual "parlor tricks". You know, stuff the evil spirit does to let the viewer know how angry it is like falling pictures, phantom appearances, breaking stuff, sounds, etc. No....for some reason this particular ghost decides to save the best for last as she disposes of one of the films main characters in the middle section of the movie before unleashing her fury upon everyone else during the movies quite intense climax.

The ghost's backstory and why she is angry and why she looks the way she does isn't very dark or sinister but it is disturbing and creepy in it's own way. It's also sad on some levels, but at the same time explains why this particular spirit picks off her victims the way she does, which is by telekeneticly breaking their bones so they can't escape upon the sight of her and she can finish the job. "Fragile" really shines in it's final 15 minutes which is where the movie finally decides to pick up the pace and give the viewer something to entertain them. For a ghost story, "Fragile" is a film some people might like. For others, looking for a supernatural horror tale the likes of "Amityville Horror", or "House on Haunted Hill"..filled with blood, gore, and very vicious ghosts well....you're out of luck.

Positives:Calista Flockhart gives a great performance, the set pieces of the film are very atmospheric and moody and dark. A very intense finale.

Negatives:Too much of the films early portions amount to nothing and it moves very slow early on and in the middle lacking scares or anything really of deep interest.

Overall:More of a ghost story for those who like to be chilled and not terrified.





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