This isn't a well-executed horror film but given its limited blood, lack of guts and gore and no harsh language that I can recall, it is a pleasant diversion from all that disgusting garbage passed off as horror nowadays. This is a frightfest that kids, lest the troll images should scare them, can watch.
The film focuses on a family of four, with the emphasis on the mother (Gallagher) and daughter. The six-year-old girl claims to see fairies in her new playhouse in the backyard. Since the family has just moved to this new house, mother imagines the concept of fairies is her little girls outlet for creativity. But when her daughter's teacher expresses concern about the girl's inability to fit in, she suggests that Gallagher take her to a shrink. Meg is reluctant at first but when the fairy tales get out of hand, she seems to have no other choice but to take the girl to visit nefarious doctor Malcolm McDowell.
The film has some flimsy messages, taking stabs at psychology as well as those acceptable lies we all tell are children: Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and so forth. Meg never loses faith in her little girl and she begins to believe her even when all signs don't point to fairies. But when mysterious things continue to occur, and Tyler (Greg Cipes) gets attacked by an unseen creature, Meg and her husband (Lutes) begin to believe their daughter might not be off her rocker.
STORY: $$ (The story was fine at first but the end result reeks of a rushed denouement. When we hit the climax of the story, things become too rushed and overly clichéd, and it seems like the director lost all control on set. There is a scene near the close of the film where Gallagher and Lutes are seated on the sofa discussing the likelihood of their daughter's fairies. I got the impression, given the half-hearted way they delivered their lines, that Meg and Eric both voiced their concern with the insipid dialogue just before they shot the scene but the director shrugged them off and said, "Just shoot that darn thing."
ACTING: $$$ (The focus throughout the film rests predominately on Megan Gallagher. She gives a very strong performance as a caring mother, even though the end of the film was rushed and thus so was her acting. But take away the rushed final fifteen minutes and you won't find anything wrong with her performance. She does an exceptional job. Malcolm McDowell is effective as the shrink: masking his nefarious ways under the guise of compassion. Eric Lutes has little to do as the father other than offer support to Gallagher. Looney gives a good performance as the mysterious handyman Megan hires to fix up the house who might know more than he lets on.
SEXUALITY: $ (Nothing doing here. This is essentially a family-friendly horror film, if such a thing exists. The only inkling of sexuality in the film comes when Megan invites Dr. McDowell to her home to commune with her little girl. Her for-the-company dress is a bit on the lowcut side, displaying some cleavage, but that's all you'll get out of this decent time-waster.