Dream House

This wannabe psychological thriller stars Daniel Craig as successful book editor Will Atenton, who decides to quit his publishing job in Manhattan and move to a seemingly idyllic suburban locale with wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and their two young daughters (real-life sisters Taylor and Claire Geare) in order to work on his first novel. But Will soon discovers that a family was brutally murdered in their house five years earlier, and while the father was suspected of the horrific killings, the man was never convicted, and he's since been released from psychiatric care. Augmenting the bucolic creepiness, a strange, sinister figure (Elias Koteas) is skulking around, and goth teenagers hold candlelit rituals in the basement. Skittish neighbor Ann (Naomi Watts) obviously knows more than she's willing to share, but she's preoccupied, battling with her ex-husband (Marton Csokas) for custody of their daughter (Rachel Fox). What's baffling here is why respected director Jim Sheridan agreed to take on this ludicrous, derivative project that tosses together generic elements from The Shining, The Amityville Horror, The Others, Shutter Island, and even The Sixth Sense. Tiresome, tedious, and disappointing—considering its impressive talent—this is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “The Dream Cast” (6 min.), “Building the Dream House” (5 min.), “Burning Down the House” (4 min.), and “A Look Inside” (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: an unremarkable extras package for an unmemorable film.] (S. Granger)