I'm the kind of person who hates being wrong, but when I am, I'll admit it because I'm not a self-centered butthole. I was wrong about this movie. Some trailers can be deceiving and I was a fool for not taking the bait in the first place. I was actually planning on seeing End of Watch (which you should see because it looks badass!!), but we were late and this was about to start so I just said, "What the hell" and bought the tickets. And I actually liked it. It wasn't as cliche as I thought, but of course they have to have cliche themes because it's horror and no one really stretches in this genre. But damn did they have some M. Night Shyamalan twists (and I'm talking 6th Sense good ones). But I recommend going when there isn't a theater full of 13 year olds and under because hearing every little scream and giggle just makes you want to punch people in the back of the head (well at least I wanted to). 

 So the story is as follows: 17 year old Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) moves with her mom (Elisabeth Shue) from the gritty streets of Chicago to a small, suburban town to reconnect from a nasty divorce. The neighborhood is nice and quiet, perfect to raise a family with just one issue: a girl murdered both her parents in the house next door, her brother being the only survivor. Everyone is against the Jacobson house and how Ryan (Max Theiriot) still keeps living there. After leaving a party and possible sexual harassment, Elissa is walking alongside the road when she meets the aloof Ryan Jacobson and automatically she likes him. Not only does she find him attractive, but she wants to help him with the problem of his alienation for a crime he didn't commit. Her mother, trying to redeem herself by being a good parent, invites him over to basically tell him that they can never be alone together. He, being polite, accepts her concerns for Elissa and quickly leaves. But being the natural teen rebel, Elissa ignores her mother's warning about Ryan and continues to have a relationship with him. But because she's clouded by lust and curiosity, she fails to realize that, like the face he shows her in the tree, Ryan has a dark secret. Several, in fact. 

 If I tell you anymore then that, I'll completely ruin the crazy ending for you. 

  Plot wise, it seemed to have been this over done tale of girl falls for the bad boy and in the end he saves her from his dark past. However, it actually took you on a blind folded roller coaster because (for the most part) you didn't really anticipate what was going to happen. I don't get scared very often, but I was actually nervous watching what was going to happen to Elissa and Ryan. Actually, my friend, who watched too, made me scream while the film was going on. I punched him in the parking lot for it. If and when you watch this movie, you'll understand what I'm talking about when I say that whoever wrote this is really effing smart because of all the thought that went behind this. When you watch the ending, you'll see what I mean. It will blow your mind and (for me, at least) will make you pretty sad actually. 

 Cinematography was pretty average: odd camera angles to show a spookier point of view. One shot that I really liked was in the beginning when they were showing the sun rising through the dead trees. Nature shots, for me, are usually the most beautiful and take the most work due to unpredictable variables. 

  Acting was fairly average on all parts. This wasn't a project where the production staff were aiming for an Oscar. More like an MTV award because Jennifer Lawrence is in it. Personally, I've always liked Max Theiriot since I've watched him in Catch That Kid and I'm glad he's back in major films again. I just hope, because he's getting to ride on Jennifer's coat tails, that he'll be able to stay in this time. But his character, Ryan, will always keep you guessing and you'll never not want to know what he's holding back.

 I'm not going to write a paragraph long reason why you need to see this movie because I told you. Go see it. Until the next film.