The Skeptic (2009)
7KThe Skeptic (2009). 1h 29m | Not Rated
“TIM DALY stars as a skeptical lawyer with no belief in the supernatural who moves into the house of a deceased aunt when his marriage breaks up. He soon believes that heu0026#39;s not alone in the creepy mansion and begins to doubt his sanity after some encounters of a ghostly kind that might just be happening in his head.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBefore he knows it, heu0026#39;s getting assistance from a woman psychic (ZOE SALDANA) who tells him the house holds a grim secret. Gradually, we discover that the key to the haunting lies in his past, when he was subjected to harsh treatment at the age of five from a mother whose punishment makes u0026quot;Mommie Dearestu0026quot; look like u0026quot;Snow White.u0026quot; So far, so good. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are some nice shivery moments but we keep hoping for our hero to see the light and discover just what is going on. It takes a little too long to reach that conclusion and when it does, the ending is an unsatisfying letdown that leaves you jolted just as the end credits begin to unfold. Thatu0026#39;s it? Yes, an ambiguous and terribly disappointing and empty stone wall conclusion that provides more questions than answers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMost viewers will feel cheated by the ending, after a fairly good case of goose pimples from a low key, rather tepid ghost story. In the central role of the lawyer, Tim Daly proves almost as adept at drama as he was in comedy roles. TOM ARNOLD, as a sympathetic colleague, has little to do but bark his lines in snappy fashion.”
