The Plot:
Looking to make a fresh start after a shaky past in America, nurse Amy Nicholls arrives on the Isle of Wight in England. The Mercy Falls Children's Hospital is being closed, and a temporary staff is left behind until all the kids can be shuttled to different facilities. Almost immediately, Amy meets up with a young patient named Maggie. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, the child is quiet, sheltered...and scared. Seems she's in "contact" with another resident in the hospital - a "mechanical girl" named Charlotte...and Charlotte is responsible for some horrifying acts. At first, Amy scoffs at the suggestion. But as her night shift grows more and more terrifying, as it's obvious that the remaining children are being targeted by the "entity", Amy decides to investigate. All paths lead to a vast basement full of old records, an abandoned floor of the infirmary, and the dreadful truth of what happened at Mercy Falls many years before.

The DVD:
It's really hard to get the old abandoned and/or haunted house/hospice/building/edifice concept to work. Not only do you need an original idea for why an otherwise normal pile of brick and mortar is rampant with the remnants of the living, but you have to master the manipulative suggestive scares and shocks before offering audiences your big reveal - and even then, most groan at the pitiful payoff to such glorified genre grandstanding. Luckily, Fragile suffers from very few of these problems while providing a solid, scary experience. Reminiscent of the equally eerie and effective The Orphanage from 'Friend of Guillermo (Del Toro)' Juan Antonio Bayona, it's clear that Hispanic and Latino filmmakers around the world have a wonderful way with fear. Unlike his latest efforts, Balagueró's Fragile is not overflowing with gore. Indeed, except for a last act reveal of the aforementioned "mechanical" creature, there is very little in the way of disturbing violence. Yes, the director does address the taboo of putting children in danger head on, and we do get a couple of nasty moments for the adults on watch, but overall, this is a film building its fright out of mood and aggressive atmosphere.

More surprisingly, the artist formerly known as Ally McBeal does a good job of playing problematic damsel in distress. Sure, she chews the scenery a bit, especially when her own "troubled" history is hinted at, and the last act has her doing very little acting and much more "reacting", but Ms. Flockhart's open, honest face makes her dread all the more palpable. Balagueró also surrounds her with an excellent cast of British and Spanish supporting players, including Richard Roxburgh (Van Helsing, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) as an understanding doctor, Elena Anaya as a jumpy nurse, Gemma Jones as a stern administrator, and young Yasmine Murphy in the almost impossible roll of psychic sick girl Maggie. Together, they draw us into this deception of art design, turning the darkened halls and rotting patient rooms of Mercy Falls into macabre maze of horror. Even when the material goes a bit wonky and obvious (apparently, all past medical atrocities are captured on 8mm film for future generations to uncover), the cast keeps it together - and terrifying.

But it's really Balagueró who deserves most of the credit here. He has a deft way with the camera, locking in on what's important in a frame while keeping equally intriguing information just off to the sides. He captures moments in an almost offhand way, never creating a confrontation out of straightforward back and forth reactions. He's also an expert at "the walk", the silent, almost somnambulistic traversing of a place of potential fear. When Amy explores the abandoned second floor for clues as to Charlotte's identity, the combination of camera angle, production design, and editorial pace are near perfect. We've seen it before - Alexandre Aja's work in Mirrors, for example - but Balagueró combines all filmmaking forces at his disposal (look, sound, cinematic set-up, audience expectation) and delivers something truly unnerving. Certainly, if you can't enjoy a horror film without a significant blood bath or ample arterial spray, Fragile will let you down. But if you remember a time when places like Belasco and Hill House ruled the genre domain, you will adore this movie. It's not flawless, but in these days of post-torture porn splatter, it's very effective.

The Video:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Fragile to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Audio:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Fragile to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Extras:
This Screener copy of Fragile only contained the movie. No bonus features. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of Fragile to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

Final Thoughts:
Clearly, Jaume Balagueró is a horror name worth following. Even if he hadn't helped with the brilliant [REC] films, efforts like Darkness and now Fragile would establish his creepshow cred rather well. Easily earning a Highly Recommended rating, it's the rare instance where something subtle and sinister is far scarier than being bludgeoned with buckets of blood. Granted, it can't live up to the macabre mastery evident in his serial tour of an infected Spanish apartment building, but if you long for an efficient haunted house movie that doesn't instantly descend into stupidity, you'll enjoy this journey into abandoned building fear. Just make sure to be on the lookout of "mechanical Charlotte" and you'll be okay..for now.

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