Review: Shut In

It would be too easy to say that Naomi Watts deserves much better than this cheap psychological thriller, but the truth of the matter is that she chose to appear in Shut In and, apart from The Ring, she hasn't exactly had the best track record in this genre (Dream House, anyone?). Still, there must have been something in Christina Hodson's script that appealed to her even if one would be hard-pressed to see exactly what that something could have been.

Watts stars as Mary Portman, a child psychologist living in a conveniently isolated Maine home who, at the start of the film, is observed guiltily sending her troubled stepson Stephen (Charlie Heaton) away so he can receive professional care for his problems. An argument with his father during the drive predictably leads to an accident, which leaves his father dead and Stephen catatonic. Cut to six months later: Mary's life is consumed with the care of her stepson though she appears ready to move on given that she's looked into assisted living homes and imagined drowning Stephen in the bath. "It's not him," she confides to her psychiatrist (Oliver Platt). "It's just a body I feed and wash and clothe."

Things go from plodding to ponderous after the disappearance of one of her patients Tom (Jacob Tremblay, completely wasted). Many presume the boy to be dead so Mary is unsettled when things start going bump in the night. Her shrink says that her guilt and helplessness over Stephen's condition and Tom's disappearance are causing her to suffer from parasomnia. With reports of possible power outages due to the impending snow storm, it won't be too long before all the lights go out and Mary is left all alone to contend with something potentially paranormal. Or is it just her imagination?

Frankly, who cares? The shocks are dull, the thrills are cheap, most of the film is simply shoddy and lurid, and the only terrifying thing about Shut In is how woefully inane and boring it is. Watts and Platt are engaging performers and their professionalism goes a long way in somewhat overcoming the risible dialogue and Farren Blackburn's by-the-numbers direction.

Shut In

Directed by: Farren Blackburn

Written by: Christina Hodson

Starring: Naomi Watts, Oliver Platt, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay