[The Marsh]
Plot:A young beautiful but stressed out children's writer seeks out a holiday in the country but becomes the lead character in a supernatural mystery she must solve to save her life.

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Gabrielle Anwar, Justin Louis.

My Thoughts:Not your average ghost movie

Review:I wasn't exactly sure about what to expect going into seeing "The Marsh", but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a supernatural horror/thriller picture, but as is the case most of the time with this particular mix of genres, the end result is something tedious and boring. But such is not the case with "The Marsh". The film focuses on a writer of children's books named Claire Holloway (Gabrielle Anwar) who splits to the country to get away from and sort out some stress related issues. Mainly weird dreams she's been having of people dying and her on the run from something. Of course as is the case with movies like this, her getaway only brings her closer to her problems and doesn't help sort them out at all at first. Once she rents out a place to stay, it isn't long before she's being plagued by spectre's which come and go, terrifying sounds, and lights flickering on and off in the house. The usual signs that yep....your house just might be posessed. In "The Marsh" however, writer Michael Stokes and Director Jordan Baker make said scenes actually creepy and disturbing in some cases. Not painful, dull, and or boring like they are in most ghost related flicks. These scenes are as convincing as Gabrielle Anwar's terrified reactions to them. Unlike most movies of this ilk, "The Marsh" doesn't try and fool us with weird locals or some creepy guy hiding in the bushes that one of them might be the ghost or someone screwing with Claire's head and making her think there are ghosts. Instead, it takes a much less predictable route. Firmly establishing the haunting, it's magnitude, and Claire's reaction to it. In fact, other than Justin Louis, an editor of the local paper who Claire meets early on in the film...the supporting cast of "The Marsh" is quite small. The spirits in the film are also on different sides of the spectrum when it comes to their overall personalities. One ghost is a little girl, the other is a demon like teenage boy. Although it isn't revealed early on who they are, why they're there, or what they want from Claire...it is established early on that both ghosts are connected to each other. With Claire's involvement in their past lives being the missing piece of the puzzle. The question is though...how is she connected to these two spirits? As her encounter's with the ghosts become more frequent and terrifying, Claire seeks out the help of a man named Hunt (Forest Whitaker), a supernatural expert who isn't as much of a believer as one would expect. However, Whitaker's character is a likeable one because he believes just enough to save lives and solve problems without coming across as eccentric, annoying, or just plain weird. At first he's hesitant to help Claire but eventually comes around and agrees to aide her in ridding the house of the two ghosts. One of the most likeable things about "The Marsh" is it's settings and surroundings. Ironically enough the film was shot in Toronto Canada, but looks alot different from other horror films shot in said location. Most likely it's because as you watch the film, it's obvious or seems obvious that Director Jordan Baker possibly purposely chose the winter months to film the movie in. To give it the perfect tone and feel to go along with the story which in itself is a cold and eerie one. Anwar and Whitaker both have great on-screen chemistry and keep the films slower moving moments interesting with their well written back and forth dialogue. As far as blood and gore goes, "The Marsh" has barely any of it. But that's to be expected since it is after all a supernatural horror/thriller and not a monster or slasher movie. There are deaths, very cliche ones which will have you yelling "run already!" at the screen. But even these cliche demises of a few of the films less important characters are pulled off with a certain creepiness and intrigue that they manage to be likeable in their current form. "The Marsh" also contains little of it's title. While there is a marsh in the film, and it does play a somewhat important role in unfolding events which take place during the films gripping conclusion...the movie is careful also to not overplay the set piece or use it in a way where it will seem hokey or campy to the viewer. With the average ghost movie these days usually falling way short of being worth wasting 90 minutes or so on..."The Marsh" is a very pleasant surprise, and definitely a supernatural horror picture I'd recommend to anyone.

Positives: Great story, solid acting by Whitaker and Anwar. A nice eerie tone and edge to the picture, pretty freaky looking ghosts, great set pieces, and a gripping climax.

Negatives: Nothing Major.

Overall:Definitely worth your time.





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