There is so much to commend here and it was intense for much of the way. But there was two big things that I felt really brought it down.

Firstly, it seemed to change very quickly half way through. Up until that point it had been a quiet and impeccably well made indie drama. It's supernatural elements in the first half were subtle and could even be passed off as part of the character's state of mind. The film could even carry on this way until the end and still be a highly commendable achievement as a film exploring the psychological effects of a family doomed to a never ending cycle of emotional estrangement.

But in a very short amount of time, as the film enters it's second half it becomes quite extreme and unrelenting in it's supernatural, horror elements. This horror is often very well done and even at times quite unsettling and chilling. But it would have been so much better if that transition had happened more slowly. The horror could still end up being unsubtle and fantastical as long as it was built up. It should feel like it's creeping up on you. The one shot that I really felt was out of place was the drawing book being filled up with drawings via CGI. That was really something that should have happened off screen.

It felt like it changed into a different film. It took me out of the experience and it took me a while to get back in.

The second issue was the use of a seance. This really spoiled the integrity of a mature, carefully made film. I hate the inclusion of a seance in any horror film. It just feels silly. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to find in Goosebumps or one of those Point Horror books that were popular when I was a teenager. Why in hell did it have to be a seance? There are so many other ways Joan could have tricked Annie into doing that spell. The writers are clearly talented, I'm sure they could have come up with something.

It is a very good film. But it could have been a classic.