The Beacon (2009)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This movie is a secret gem! I stumbled upon it by accident and it is one of the best haunting movies I have ever seen, and I think I have seen them all. The beginning reads like your run of the mill horror story; a couple, who lost their child, move to a new city to make a fresh start and save their relationship. Things start to go weird and none of the characters stops to think and investigate. But then the story gets more interesting, with excellent acting from David Rees Snell, Elaine Hendrix and Teri Polo. The story moves along nicely without any annoying characters you urgently want to die and without cheap frights making you jump like so many other movies of that genre. The totally unpredictable ending was really good and not your run of the mill, seen before, story. Loved it! Truly haunting!

While trying to get their lives back on track after the loss of their four year old son, Bryn and Paul Shaw move to the charming old Beacon Apartments...So, you have this film known as "The Beacon" that comes out in 2009. The DVD does not get released until 2011, and then they retitle it "Haunting at the Beacon" (which I actually think is a weaker name). And before the DVD even gets out, they are playing it on Netflix, more or less undermining any reason to be excited about the DVD (if you were).What would draw someone to this film? I was a bit happy to see Michael Ironside, a horror staple for thirty years, play a small role here. And you might care that this film was made in an allegedly haunted hotel in Texas. That personally meant nothing to me, but fans of "Ghost Hunters" might think otherwise... or maybe you are a fan of Teri Polo from "Meet the Parents"? The film is a bit of a snoozer, at least for the first half. We have a mom who sees a ghost child and those around her think she is crazy, just having symptoms of guilt from when she let her own child die. The plot is nothing special, it does not come off as very original, and some of the character motivations seem odd (such as the pill-popping cop who follows up on a case for no reason -- and what are her pills?) The second half is both redeeming and destructive. The pace increases, there is a cool scene with scissors as a set piece (also the best gore of the film). And after a twist or two (which I cannot reveal) the story finally becomes interesting. The problem? We find out after the twist about many, many plot holes. I would love to go through about five of them here, but cannot without revealing the film's secret. Let me just say this movie works best if you do not think about it.If you like the movie enough to own it, I will tell you that it features an audio commentary, but not much else. That might clear up certainly plot problems, though I doubt it (I must confess I own the disc but have not given it a second viewing yet). My advice is to avoid it or to simply watch on Netflix...

After reading the reviews I really wasn't expecting anything from this movie but I had absolutely nothing else to watch. Actually I'm glad I did watch it as there are some nice ol' skool spooky moments in the movie, I would say it's worth a watch on a cold dark night.Definitely a straight to video movie done on the cheap, the actors were a mixed bag of low level TV actors and failed movie stars. Teri Polo was actually quite good in the lead and was a charming presence. Most of the others were acceptable and a few were just plain awful. The female cop and the landlord stand out as terrible for me but I couldn't decide if it was the actors or the direction at fault.It gets of to a clichéd start with all the usual creepy happenings. There is some nice photography in a few scenes but it's obvious the production didn't have a large budget. The last 20 minutes turn into some 70s schlock horror B movie with some film school quality make-up effects. Definitely gets to the so bad it's good stage.The plot didn't make a lot of sense at the end but if you make it that far you won't really care.

Shot mostly at the Roger's Hotel in Waxahachie, Texas (30 miles south of Dallas), this scary flick successfully made me jump... a few times. I also can usually determine the outcome of a given film, but I couldn't have guessed this one at ALL! The plot centers around a couple who are recovering from the disappearance of their son. They relocate to the Beacon Apartments, only to find that the building appears to be haunted by a young boy (around the same age of their own son who they've lost). From the moment they move in, the wife notices strange things happening around them, but the husband is quick to brush it off. Soon, he realizes that his wife may be telling the truth, after all.Great movie if you like this genre. I saw it at a sneak peek in Dallas and am not sure about national release. Consider joining their Facebook group so you can find out how to get the film to show in your neighborhood, if interested!