The Story:
In this psychological drama (I just can't bring myself to call it a thriller), Michael (Goran Visnjic), a hypnotherapist, slips up during a session with detective Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson), who is trying to quit smoking, revealing that he sees what's going on in her mind during the hypnotism. She immediately enlists him to help her find a serial killer of small children. One little girl, Heather, escaped from the serial killer, but is now mute, and Janet thinks Michael can use his mind-reading hypnotism to get her to talk and supply some crucial information about the killer. Soon, Janet and Michael are embroiled in a search for a possible cult. There's a whole lot of pentagrams, an unseen, not very menacing killer who uses metal prods to prick his victims, a weird occult expert named Elliot (Paddy Considine), who helps out Michael and Janet, a voiceless little blonde girl who has fright-free visions…and not much else.

I honestly felt like I was watching a too long, slow moving episode of some generic detective drama that had a bit of a supernatural twist. There were no chills or thrills, a bit of gore that didn't offend enough, and, unfortunately, a painfully convoluted tie-up at the end that the investigating characters were not particularly being led towards. I also felt nothing for the characters and their various personal issues (Michael's fear for his pregnant wife and already born daughter, Janet's problems being respected by her boss). This movie waters down to being nothing more than a straightforward mystery.

The DVD

Video:
This DVD delivers a 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. As a result of the aspect ratio, even widescreen owners will still see black bars. There are hints of dust on the print, but the image is very sharp. The overall image however, has a very dull, dark finish, and there's a bit too much pink in the flesh tones.

Sound:
5.1 technology is excellently applied here, with great surround effects and a bass response that made my receiver go into "protect" mode! There's also the option for simple 2.0 stereo sound.

Extras:
There are a good amount of extras on this disc. Unfortunately, I wasn't compelled to want to see them after my forgettable experience watching the movie. Aside from an option for Spanish subtitles, there is a 10 minute segment of cast & crew interviews. Also, a really boring behind-the-scenes segment featuring 10 very uninspired minutes of the film crew being filmed during, well, filming. The included original theatrical promo is one of the worst prints I've ever seen on a DVD. And finally, there are trailers for 5 other DVD offerings, including one for the series Unsolved Mysteries on DVD.

Final Thoughts:
Close Your Eyes has nothing going for it. It's a plodding mystery/supernatural hybrid with uninteresting characters, no thrills, and a weak plot. The DVD itself offers a pretty good presentation of the film, but the extras are about as interesting as the film.