(Reviewed by Preppy) - "Hide" from this movie--don't "seek" it out.  David Callaway (Robert DeNiro) and his young daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) are trying to deal with the suicide of his wife (Amy Irving). They move to a remote country house to get away from everything. Then Emily has this new friend named Charlie--who no one can see. But then Callaway starts to wonder who Charlie is when strange things begin to happen. And how about the creepy neighbors next door? Dull, pointless and stupid. This is a simple by the numbers horror film that moves painfully slow and telegraphs every 'scare'. If this was just a low budget horror film it would be easier to dismiss--but this is a big budget horror film with good actors by a major studio. I really want to know how they got these actors to sign up for this.

For starters this plot has been done many times before...and better. This movie adds nothing new to the formula. There is a very undeveloped subplot about some creepy neighbors. It actually looked very interesting but is dumped completely at the end with no resolution. Also this movie treats the audience like idiots. At one point Fanning has to run for her life. She has a choice--go outdoors or upstairs. Guess which one she picks. At another part the chief of police (Dylan Baker) is investigating the house when the lights go out. Of course he should leave the house. Instead he checks out everything with a flashlight! It's really hard to care about people who are such idiots. And I sure the 'surprise' ending coming halfway through the movie.

The acting wavers. DeNiro (surprisingly) is not that good. He isn't terrible--it's just he's capable of being better. Fanning is excellent as Emily. She's one of the few things that kept my interest. Very well-done, believable performance. Famke Jansses is wasted as a family friend. And I think she should have guessed out what was going on long before they tell us. Irving is hardly in the movie (a good thing) and she is cruelly photographed. Elisabeth Shue (a wonderful actress) has absolutely nothing to work with. It's always good to see Robert John Barker (next door neighbor) but he only has two short scenes.

The R rating is not necessary. There's no sex or nudity, only one instance of swearing and the murders (both of them) are just a little bloody. I'm assuming it got the R because it does deal with a little girl dealing with her mother's suicide pretty grimly.

All in all this is just a dull horror film that will be forgotten in a few months. Skip it. 2/10