'The Atoning' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me could have been much better considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'The Atoning' is far from terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are things that are decent enough to make it a step above weak.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky, and the film is competently shot. The music has some creepiness.

Best thing about 'The Atoning' actually is the ending when the film finally gets intriguing and is actually pretty clever, even then it feels too little too late. The acting generally, apart from the dreadfully hammy acting for the psychic, is better than average, particularly from Cannon Bosarge. There is some creepiness here.

Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague and under-explained and never gaining momentum. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.

Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are sometimes ropy and the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions).

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace and film drags on forever, never recovering until finally getting intriguing to the ending. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense.

A lot of 'The Atoning' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame.

The psychological elements are unimaginative and are more odd than scary, generally failing to show any sense of horror. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, got the sense their heart was not in it.

Concluding, lacklustre but not terrible. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Estranged couple Vera (a fine and appealing portrayal by Virginia Newcomb) and Ray (nicely played with quietly unnerving detachment by Michael LaCour) try to protect their son Sam (an excellent and likeable performance by Cannon Bosarge) not only from ghosts, but also from a dark secret in their past that could tear them apart as a family.

Writer/director Michael Williams relates the compelling story at a deliberate pace, ably crafts a spooky and unsettling atmosphere, takes time to develop the characters, offers a credible depiction of a troubled family that's on the verge of imploding, and delivers a real nifty surprise twist at the halfway point. Moreover, the dark-skinned demon people are genuinely creepy while the ultimately sad and tragic plot gives this picture an unexpectedly haunting and wrenching underlying poignancy. Kudos are also in order for Williams' shadowy cinematography and Keatzi Gummoney's spare shivery score. Worth a watch for fright film fans who are in the mood for something more subdued and thoughtful than the usual horror fare.

When I stumbled upon "The Atoning", I must admit that I was immediately lured by the cover. I didn't even read the synopsis for the movie, the front of the cover was all that was needed to have me interested.

So I knew that I was getting myself into a horror movie. I just didn't know what kind of horror movie.

"The Atoning" turned out to be an unfathomably slow paced horror movie that borrowed heavily on elements from "The Others", but it just failed to be as interesting or groundbreaking as "The Others" was back in the day. There was so little happening throughout the course of "The Atoning" that it was getting progressively more and more difficult to keep interested in watching it.

It should be said that while the storyline and script was atrocious, then the acting performances were actually quite good. Just a shame that they had so little to work with. Virginia Newcomb, playing Vera, was the one whom carried the movie for the most parts.

The movie wasn't even halfheartedly scary. And when the people covered in black paint showed up, I was about ready to just turn off the movie and find something else to watch. But I endured and stuck with "The Atoning" to the end. Some of us suffered through this, so you don't have to.

If you enjoy horror movies then I suggest you find something else to watch, because "The Atoning" is just not worth the time or effort. Maybe if something more interested happened throughout the course of the storyline, yeah... But it didn't, so don't bother.