The Skeptic (2009)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Let's be realistic.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I found this film in a pile of movies at a pawn shop near my house. As a fan of the IFC line of films, I decided to pick it up. This movie unfolds at a very good pace. Every scene seemed important and the entertainment did not die down once. This is a ghost story type of movie and honestly it kinda felt like a TV movie, but that just made for a warm feel. Fellas, it's a good movie to watch with your girlfriend, but don't expect blood and guts because its the uneasy type of scary that this films delivers. There should be more low key horror films like this. another title that's similar but a little upscale with the terror is "The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh". I highly recommend it if you liked "The Skeptic".

For a huge Horror fan such as myself, one of the more frustrating and/or disappointing experiences in regards to films is watching one I've mistaken to be Horror when it isn't. This has happened to me more times than I'd care to admit while seeking out new films to watch (and by "new" I mean films I haven't watched yet) using the keyword "haunting" - as these many times turned out to be no more than dramas.In the case of The Skeptic/The Haunting of Bryan Becket I haven't made that mistake, or at least had no way to realize I have, as the film is tagged as Horror-Thriller. However, in hindsight, I can say that it really wasn't much of a Horror film. True, the oldest cheap cheat in the book was used a few times (sudden occurrence accompanied by a sudden loud bass music) making me jump involuntarily in my seat. Moreover, the entire film had this uneasy and unnerving sense to it, ever since Bryan Becket moved into that creepy old house (another overused Horror feature).However, if I've accidentally made this appear as negative criticism - I apologize. For in every way The Skeptic lacked as a generic Horror film, it excelled as a psychological thriller! The stressing piano music, the superb acting of Tim Daly (as well as Tom Arnold and Zow Saldana), the clever and original screenplay (showing a nice touch of detective story), the mystery slowly unfolding until the final breathtaking twists... All these made watching The Skeptic a better and in some ways scarier experience than watching many so-called Horror films.So no - there isn't any blood (seriously, not at all), and the ghost isn't scary looking as we've grown accustomed since the The Ring and The Grudge. No gore, no visual effects, none of the features that give most Horror films of the past decade that extra edge in scaring us. Nonetheless, The Skeptic's story is interesting, intriguing and compelling, keeping you guessing till the end.A profound psychological thriller, one of the best! Very highly recommended!

Like some others have already stated, this movie has some places that will make you jump... and this movie is a nice change-of-pace over those other type of horror movies which are more just blood and guts. From this perspective, this movie reminds me of "The Others".I thought it had a nice story about closure of a relationship between a man and his mother. Most complaints seem to be about the ending, but I have no complaints about the ending. True, the ending is up for interpretation whether his mother wanted closure with her son or if he only imagined it. Being the optimist I am, I choose to think that the former represents the ending.Some people also complain there doesn't seem to be closure with his wife and son, but considering (1) his wife's complaint about him was that was is too unemotional and (2) she felt the reason for his behavior had something to do with his mother, to me, again being the optimist, there is full closure as well. With what he experienced, he should be able to be more open-minded, more emotional, and more of the type of husband and father that his wife wants him to be.With the slew of mediocre movies I had been watching recently, this movie was a pleasant surprise. (Currently I rate this as a 7 but I may have to raise it to an 8.)

The movie begins and constructs itself with a pretty decent structure. It often shocks you with a sudden unexpected horror tricks and you've to spare those scenes even if your mind says that its a cliché. Suddenly, the movie ends with an epic conclusion of absurdity, leaving ton of unanswered questions, while you end up convincing yourself that," OK! its not a mystery, its a bad story". What happened to him? is he dead? is he knocked down? what happened to his wife? whats the purpose of the psychic girl if she didn't prove anything? is he imagining his mother repenting for her sins or as in her soul regrets her sins? A decent ending would be him crying in front of her wife, emotionally broke and showing some respect for the world and not being a jerk, who sees the world as a skeptic. But no the writer had to crown a masterpiece with a puddle of mud to create some kind of mystery which is out of fashion in horror movies these days. It could have been an 8 movie but below 6 now, and that's the price you pay by spoiling a perfect story.