Phantoms

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Phantoms
Starring Peter O'Toole, Joanna Going, Rose McGowan, Ben Affleck
Directed by Joe Chappelle

Summary:
Jennifer (Joanna Going) decides to take her younger sister Lisa (Rose McGowan) to a small town in Colorado to get away from the big city.  When they arrive, they find the town mysteriously deserted, and then they discover the bodies.  With Sheriff Hammond (Ben Affleck), they try to make sense of what happened, and turn to paranormal writer Dr. Flyte (Peter O'Toole) to find out what exactly is going down in the small town.

Review:
Based on a novel by Dean Koontz, "Phantoms" is a slow-burn intelligent horror film which begins strong but unfortunately unravels in the third act.  The main premise of the film is finding out what is happening and why, which builds a great mystery, but the ultimate reason is contrived and illogical.  The acting was alright, and it's clear O'Toole really needed work to do this film, but they gave it their all.  It just didn't have a great ending.

Summary:
A great beginning, a slow-burn mystery that could've been something great, but ultimately ends up a typical lame 90s horror film.

My Rating: B-

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