Hurt (2009)

Hurt: Directed by Barbara Stepansky. With Melora Walters, William Mapother, Johanna Braddy, Sofia Vassilieva. A recently widowed family is forced to move into their uncle’s salvage yard, and soon after the arrival of a mysterious foster child, a family secret starts to threaten their lives.

“Hurt is the classic story of a somewhat dysfunctional family taking in a new young member and from that point, things go wrong. Several movies have followed this basic formula but what makes Hurt slightly special is that director Barbara Stepansky wraps this film in drama and mystery. Just what is going on in this family, who is responsible for what?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, Stepanskyu0026#39;s attempts to hold out on us are only frustrating, as the u0026quot;revelationsu0026quot; that come later are not satisfying or surprising to us. As for the dramatic side of this story, I appreciated the attempt but the direction, writing and cast were poor enough that it was impossible to be emotionally involved in his mess.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI still applaud the attempt to mix a traditional horror/thriller Hollywood plot with an indie drama. Some of the shots were nice and the soundtrack (not the film score) was interesting and provided some mood. But in the end, this film is a mess.”