THE MOVIE:

With a few judicious edits and a reformed climax Within would be an above-average 'evil child' film. As presented, it is a middling 'possessed child' film. I recognize that those two categories are not mutually exclusive but as far as motivation is concerned, they are worlds apart. Movies featuring angelic children in the clutches of supernatural possession usually explain away their demonic acts by placing blame on external forces. An evil child however is a different beast altogether. They are just born bad. They make us uncomfortable because we recognize the immensity of their darkness within ourselves. While the young and talented duo of Mia Ford and Sammi Hanratty work hard to sell this moral discomfort, the film eventually lets them down by choosing the road most traveled.

Rachel's mom thinks that all people are naturally good. Rachel (Mia Ford) has her doubts, especially after she watches a deli employee shoot her mom in a fit of rage. Perhaps it has something to do with the bloodied and bruised stranger she saw standing outside the deli. He did seem to dislike the fact that Rachel had noticed him. Maybe he hated the attention so much that he made the deli employee do something vicious on his behalf. Before Rachel can really come to grips with what has happened, her father (Sam Jaeger) has moved them to a small town. After all, nothing awful ever happens in small towns...right?

4th grade in a new school isn't easy for Rachel. Not helping matters is the snotty class bully, Michelle (Sammi Hanratty). After a bit of light verbal abuse, Michelle decides that she wants to be Rachel's friend after all. Rachel is subdued, non-confrontational and mostly obedient. In other words, she is the perfect clump of human clay for Michelle to mold in any way she desires. At least that's what she thinks until she pushes things too far. When Rachel's patience runs out, she starts to distance herself from the bossy Michelle. In the process she begins to spend more time with her friendly new teacher, Miss Miller (Lori Heuring). This doesn't sit well with Michelle. She knows Miss Miller's younger brother went missing years ago. She may even know what happened to him. Perhaps she'll put Miss Miller out of her misery and tell her what she's been dying to find out.

I've tried to retain some of the film's mystery even though it does a pretty good job of showing its hand right from the start. From the very first scene in the deli it is abundantly clear that Rachel can see dead people. At her young age, she may not have a complete grasp on what she's looking at but as seasoned viewers we're already ahead of the game. By the time she starts seeing a dead girl lingering by Michelle, we can see a few of the climactic revelations coming from a mile away. The obviousness of the proceedings isn't the fault of the performers. Mia Ford projects the perfect blend of innocence and smarts as Rachel. She may be shy but she's no dummy. Similarly, Sammi Hanratty nails the hateful little monster act. When she's not manipulating people to do her bidding, she has a way with razor blades and barbed wire. Her air of cloying sweetness barely masks her rotten core.

That may be my central concern with this film. Ford and Hanratty slowly build up Rachel and Michelle as two real girls operating on opposite ends of the kindness spectrum. By the time the exposition heavy final scenes lay down some vaguely new age-y rules about good people and bad people, the film has reduced the girls to pawns in a supernatural game of Hide and Seek. All their nuances and personal flaws are forgotten so they can become horror movie clichés. Rachel's unusual insight and maturity is overshadowed by her gift for seeing the dead. Similarly, Michelle who terrifies with her potential for unpredictable cruelty is declawed by the assertion that she is merely a vessel for some malevolent force.

Ultimately the part of the film that really worked for me was the prickly mid-section. Director Hanelle Culpepper working from a script by Rebecca Sonnenshine handles this part of the story with great sensitivity. It almost resembles a coming of age tale for Rachel, complete with butterfly imagery scattered throughout. She's an intelligent girl going through a singularly terrifying experience, the understanding of which is clearly beyond her years. It's too bad that the unusual story of her growth is smack dab in the middle of a predictable exercise in horror.

THE DVD:

Note: :
I received a screener copy for review so I can't be certain of the video quality, audio quality or extras until an official copy is obtained.

Video:
The widescreen image on the screener definitely had a few issues. There was noticeable grain in many scenes. In addition, the image felt a little flat and washed out at times. It didn't help matters that a watermark kept popping up declaring the disc's screener status.

Audio:
The 5.1 Surround mix fared a lot better than the image it was accompanying. It was relatively clear and free of defects but the rear surrounds were definitely neglected in comparison to the fronts and center. There were no subtitles on the screener.

Extras:
There were no extras on the screener.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Despite their young age, Mia Ford and Sammi Hanratty put in mature performances which are the main draw of Within. Ford expertly plays a young girl finding her place in the world while Hanratty is the devilish catalyst needed to help the process along. While their story is fairly compelling, the film is capped off with a series of well-worn horror clichés that quickly undo much of the good will that has been built up. Rent It.