Spectres (2004)
PG-13 06 Mar 2004 • Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery • 1h 38m
KELLY is a beautiful young 16-year old who, like many teenagers, feels her life has become unbearably dark and depressed. Unable to make a meaningful connection with anyone around her, least of all her workaholic mom LAURA LEE, Kelly decides she'd rather be with her dad, who died several years before. The suicide attempt fails, but Laura Lee gets an urgent wake-up call and is determined to give Kelly some desperately needed attention. Hoping a change of scenery will help, mom and daughter rent a house for a long summer vacation. THE BIG HOUSE ON THE HILL offers peace, quiet, and ... mystery. They've barely unpacked their bags when Kelly catches a fleeting glimpse of SEAN, a good-looking young man who vanishes before she can catch up to him. Through several more encounters, Kelly develops a friendship with him, partly because of the physical attraction and partly because he is genuinely interested in her. Kelly seems to be opening up, enjoying her time with Sean and pursuing part-time work at a local children's center. It's not all vacation, though. Part of Kelly's recovery process includes regular sessions with DR. HALSEY, a psychiatrist who believes that Kelly's new "friend" is merely a physical manifestation of her own defenses ... an attempt to transform a scary world into a safe, welcoming place. When asked about Sean, Laura Lee must admit that she's never actually seen the boy. Worried about Kelly's sanity, Halsey recommends that Kelly end the friendship. Sean doesn't like being dismissed, however. He blames Laura Lee and unleashes an angry display of poltergeist activity. No question they've got a ghost on their hands, so Laura Lee turns to another expert for help. Enter psychic WILL FRANKLIN, a true "sensative" who hates his own ability so much that he lives underneath a labyrinth of massive power lines in order to deaden his sensitivity. In his first moments at the house, he meets SUZANNE, another ghost. Even though the others can't see her, Franklin knows she's real. Moreover, he believes that she and Sean are not connected to the house, they're connected to Kelly herself. He begins implementing his own plan to put the spectres to rest. Meanwhile, SUZANNE helps Kelly uncover a mystery at the children's center where she's been working. For some inexplicable reason, she's been fascinated with C.J., a young orphan boy whose mother RENEE died a few months earlier. Unfortunately, the identity of C.J.'s father is a secret Renee took with her to the grave. Through diligent research and a little bit of luck, Kelly locates C.J.'s father SAM and puts him on a path to be united with the son he never knew. Kelly feels good about her accomplishment but learns that the real journey has just begun when WILLIAM, another ghost at the house, forces her to come face to face to face with the most startling ghost of all ... and some spirits don't go easily. With the help of her mom, Dr. Halsey and Franklin, Kelly must solve the mystery surrounding these spirits' connection to her and try to understand what it is they want. There's a disturbing revelation lying in wait, however, just around one of the house's dark corners, and it's a revelation that will end Kelly's life as she knows it.
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Language:
English
Awards:
2 wins
Country:
United States
Metacritic Score:
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Box Office Total: