This movie seemed to be bathed in mediocrity trying hard to be something more. The curious use of late 70's era horror music in a number of scenes was rather distracting, I thought as it rather sucked back in the day as well. Worse, this movie works on a twist and twists can have inherent issues. Movies like the Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects have effective twists as, for the average viewer, they're not easy to see coming but still logically make sense. Other movies leave you hanging though, by either making the twist some manner of illogical impossibility or giving it away far too soon. For me, this film spilled the goods far too early.
The moment the second girl with memories of the hotel is introduced, you're left to ponder if the little girl was reincarnated twice or if the main character in this film is, in fact, the killer. And you can't ponder that for long because it doesn't make sense. Obviously she's the killer.
The isn't the only issue, mind you. The fact that this is a film about reincarnation is a head scratcher since the reincarnated spirits exist as people now...but also as spirits still. And they're jerk spirits. Ghost stories always bug me a little if I think too hard about what possible motivation the ghosts have for acting like jerks all the time, but it takes the cake in this movie. They work as a group to inexplicably kidnap and/or marginally possess the people they already are? I'm not sure what's happening there, to be honest.
If they wanted to punish the spirit of their killer, that's fine, but why kill damn near a dozen innocent people in the process? Of course, then there's the whole issue of the curious morality of the story anyway. The killer is reincarnated so now this poor girl has to be tortured in a nuthouse for the rest of her life. Well, that's what you get for being born I guess. Kind of a flat ending if you ask me.
Overall, not a great movie, but it has some good ambiance.
The moment the second girl with memories of the hotel is introduced, you're left to ponder if the little girl was reincarnated twice or if the main character in this film is, in fact, the killer. And you can't ponder that for long because it doesn't make sense. Obviously she's the killer.
The isn't the only issue, mind you. The fact that this is a film about reincarnation is a head scratcher since the reincarnated spirits exist as people now...but also as spirits still. And they're jerk spirits. Ghost stories always bug me a little if I think too hard about what possible motivation the ghosts have for acting like jerks all the time, but it takes the cake in this movie. They work as a group to inexplicably kidnap and/or marginally possess the people they already are? I'm not sure what's happening there, to be honest.
If they wanted to punish the spirit of their killer, that's fine, but why kill damn near a dozen innocent people in the process? Of course, then there's the whole issue of the curious morality of the story anyway. The killer is reincarnated so now this poor girl has to be tortured in a nuthouse for the rest of her life. Well, that's what you get for being born I guess. Kind of a flat ending if you ask me.
Overall, not a great movie, but it has some good ambiance.