The Gathering

The Gathering (2002)

Director: Brian Gilbert
Writer: Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

What's It About

Christina Ricci plays Cassie Grant, a girl that gets in a car accident in an unfamiliar town and doesn't remember why she is there. Cassie finds herself in an interesting situation when she keeps seeing horrifying images of the townspeople around her. The strange visions begin to add up, but the truth is hard for Cassie to take. This film is about having a second chance in life.

How'd They Act

The most notable actress is Christina Ricci who plays Cassie Grant. Ricci does well in this horror film. Although she does not give a truly great performance, she is able to pull off the role of Casie Grant quite well. Ioan Gruffudd plays Dan Blakeley, but the main character is Ricci. Gruffudd seems to be a good actor, but he is not given the chance to really break out in this film. Fantastic Four is even more unlikely to boost his career in my opinion. If want a film this has one main actress, with one main part, then you've got it.

Delivery

The directing was clean and understandable, but there are no break throughs here. Sometimes strong, consistent directing is all that is needed to make a great film, but this time it left the film with many opportunities to grow. When I think about a movie that was able to have strong, consistent directing without bringing attention to itself, I think about The Saint (my second favorite movie). Philip Noyce directs in a way that makes the viewer not think about the directing at all, but concentrate on the other aspects of the film and how they come together beautifully. The Gathering seemed a little rough around the edges at times, and without any other strong actors besides Ricci, the directing almost seems bland here. This is definitely not directing with the intensity of The Shining from Kubrick or Natural Born Killers from Oliver Stone. The directing and cinematography does carry the movie through without too many "ouch" moments.

The Real Deal

This less know horror movie may surprise you with its meaningful message. It may not have been worth the ticket price when it came out, but a Blockbuster Online rental was more than worth it. If you want a horror movie without too much gore and a little deeper plot line, then this may be your movie. Christina Ricci does well in this film. The most shocking fact about this movie may be how it ties back into to morality and religion with respect.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 741,871
Sharon Movie? No