Half Light

Stars: Demi Moore, Hans Matheson, Henry Ian Cusick, Kate Isitt, Beans Balawi

Director: Craig Rosenberg

Demi Moore's far from home and out of sorts in the kind of (seemingly) paranormal thriller for which Britain's Hammer Studios tempted female Hollywood stars to cross the Atlantic decades ago.

In fact, Hammer's ace director Jimm Sangster would probably have made a better job of this. As it is, Half Light goes off at half-cock thanks to a feeble script that provoked outright laughter at a preview.

In another failed comeback. Moore plays Rachel, a top-selling American novelist who moves to London with new husband Brian (Cusick), only for her six-year-old son (Balawi) to drown in the canal that runs by their home.

Relocating to the Highlands of Scotland with the help of her friend Sharon (Isitt), Rachel soon starts an affair with a local lighthouse keeper (Matheson). The drawback is, according to locals, that he's been 'dead...these seven years'.

Still, here he is, playing his favourite music - 'It's an old Celtic ballad' - as she hears from villagers how he killed his wife after he 'caught her in bed with a local fisherman'. 'Maybe the dead,' groans the local psychic (Therese Bradley)
as Rachel sees visions of her late son, 'miss us more than we miss them.' Hmm.

What is going on? And do we care if it's a supernatural explanation or just a diabolical plot? 'This doesn't make any sense.' wails Rachel. And we can but agree. (There is no copyright date on this film)

David Quinlan

US/UK 2004. UK Distributor: UIP. Color by De Luxe.
114 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 09 Jul 2006