Strange things in a strange place

The Village

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Brendan Gleeson

Cert: 12.

Deep in a mysterious wood lies a small village, and deep in this mysterious wood there lurks evil monsters - ‘Those we don’t speak of,’ say the villagers.

To keep the monsters at bay the villagers have devised mysterious rules, though one young man wishes to upset the well-ordered life by leaving.

Shyamalan wrote this over-heated load of codswallop - heavy on the philosophy and deep meaning - and directs the film in his usual self-important style, towards what has become his trademark of a twist in the tail.

Sadly, in spite of a strong cast doing its best to keep us spellbound, the mystery is insufficient to chill our blood.

Star Rating: 2/5