Half Light Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Believe in the beyond.
When the darkness falls the dead will rise.
After the tragic drowning of her 5 year old son, best selling thriller novelist Rachel Carlson moves to a remote cottage on the Scottish coast. But Rachel's demons have followed her as loneliness and paranoia leave her not knowing what's real and what's imagination in the fight to save her life.
| Demi Moore | Rachel Carlson |
| Craig Rosenberg |
6.00 out of 10 (2422 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Semi Bore
posted on 26 Aug 2009They must have realised part way through production that they were in real trouble with this dud and tried to recover the story at the cost of deleting the original footage and replacing it with an even poorer short cut revision. The purpose of Celtic language and the mystery of the villagers and the church cross is completely lost to the editing room floor as they try to recover by taking some short cuts. Don't bother looking for a mystery, it was the film cutter that did it. Loved the last quarter where the boyfriend explains the whole film plot to us which I must say reflects the quality of audience this film can expect. Demi's has returned on the tail of Ghost(16 years later!!)with another Ghost story, her love interest was a third her age (maybe one of Ashton's mates) and no sweetie a crooked cross is not satanic. Maybe the chief censor viewed the film that ended up on the floor because this is no way an R Film, he must have been watched something else, I wish I had.
Clichéd, Confusing, Clueless, Caricatured, Could Care Less
posted on 22 Aug 2009Rosenberg's 'Half Light' is just another typical 'supernatural' thriller (a.k.a. horror-chiller) wannabe. The script has nothing new to offer while it's got some plot holes and the overall plot is hackneyed. It tries to be a Steven King style story but grossly fails. Moreover, the characters are caricatures (e.g. the unintentionally funny townspeople, the friend and husband who turn out to be the villain, the cardboard clairvoyant chick), the acting is poor and the dialogues are plagiarized. Demi Moore is a good actress but she's mostly alright here. There are a few scenes of great acting but overall the writing does not give her much scope. She looks radiant though. I loved Kate Isitt in one of my favourite TV series 'Coupling' but she's quite awful here. She plays her character as though she doesn't care. Might as well, since it's not a great role. On the positive side, I loved the soundtrack. It's mostly calming Scottish and Irish instrumental tracks that are pleasing to the ears. The visuals, particularly the location shots, are beautiful. Though Wales isn't anything like Scotland (the film pretends to take place in Scotland), it's quite a beauty.
Ghosts like Scotland best.
posted on 25 Jul 2009Half detective story and half fantasy and horror stuff,"Half Light" spares us the special effects and is thus a commendable work.Demi Moore has a decent part for once and the magnificent landscapes add to the pleasure.Not that the story is that new.The story borrows from Daphné du Maurier ("Don't look now" filmed by Nicholas Roeg) ,from Boileau-Narcejac ("Celle Qui N'Etait Plus" filmed by Clouzot as "Diaboliques" ) as well as Richard Loncraine's "Full circle " an obscure film featuring Mia Farrow .But the results are enjoyable,suspenseful.The director mixes supernatural and real life with talent.Another proof of the director's good taste as far cinema is concerned: the old couple is watching TV which screens the extraordinary movie made of sketches "Dead of Night" (1945).We can see a short extract of its best segment ,the ventriloquist one which inspired Richard Attenborough's "Magic" (1978).
So so
posted on 15 Jul 2009Me and the Missus are fans of the supernatural-thriller genre, so were looking forward to watching this film. Around five minutes in we were worried that this film wasn't going to do anything new - we were right.For me, although it was a pleasant enough yarn, it has all been done before. Predictable and pedestrian.. the kind of movie you don't mind getting up for in the middle of for a wee.Demi Moore was average. I feel like you'd expect the character to been considerably more emotional about some of the events in the film. Demi plays it pretty down the line - blandly, like the movie.One of the special effects during the film (zooming out from the top of the light house) was so poor quality it was laughable. Sounds like I'm being anal, but for me it stuck out like a saw thumb.I'd have given it 4.5 out of ten if I had the option. I'll be generous on account of the location - beautiful, quite breathtaking in fact. More than can be said for "Half Light".
This is beyond bad...
posted on 30 May 2009Why Demi? Why? The supposedly bone-chilling tale of a writer(Demi) who goes goes to a remote seaside village, after the death of her son(he apparently drowned as seen early in the movie), to finish her novel, but in the way she gets haunted by her son and starts to doubt her sanity when a lighthouse keeper she falls in love with apparently has died a long time ago. Sounds neat, right? Wrong! It's anything but, from the start I was getting the vague impression I was seeing an Uwe Boll film and wondered if this director had anything to do with Boll himself. Maybe not, but apparently this guy has absolutely no clue how create any tension, no clue how to create even a decent scare, doesn't even bother to create even an atmosphere, add in a really bad plot and you get one of the most inept scary(of you can call it that) movies I've ever seen. I wonder how this was green-lit... Sorry, Demi, this movie will do nothing for your probably dead career.
A change from the usual flashy "vision bite" chiller films of recent years
posted on 14 May 2009I couldn't help comparing this film to another film i saw recently of the same genre but had flashing images of horror but without any suspense, the film Half Light didn't have so many sudden flashes of quick "vision bites" and did have some moments of suspense, unusual in some of todays supposedly "chiller films" which just aren't scary at all, but this film was a cut above recent similar films. Demi Moore as always gave a good performance, she has been very much underrated in recent years but i always feels you get a guaranteed good performance from her whatever the film whether it be good or bad. To sum up on this latest pic of hers, definitely above average and i liked the location.
Underrated Psycho Thriller
posted on 08 May 2009I discovered HALF LIGHT in a cinema magazine and after I have read the critics on this site I thought it must be an interesting psycho thriller. In fact my low expectations have been met more than I imagined. At first, there is the sweat music. Then, I have great respect for the very great performance from Demi Moore and Hans Matheson. I agree completely with all the reviews that the scenery with the light tower is wonderfully done. What I liked the most is that the director mixed many ingredients of the genre romance, psycho and thriller all in one worth-seeing movie. I am surprised why this film didn't get out in the US theaters and in Europe. I think they missed a great opportunity here but for all DVD fans of this genre I recommend highly to see it. At the end my wife had even some tears and me too. A great one that deserves a solid 8/10 and that is too underrated on IMDb. If you liked it you may also try MURDER BY NUMBER with Sandra Bullock.
Typically desperate British fare...
posted on 28 Apr 2009I just attended a test screening of this film and left after half an hour. It was boring, hammy, predictable, clunky and unoriginal.All the shots are 'picture-postcard' shots of the Scottish coast, reminiscent of an appalling episode of ITV's Cold Feet where they go to Scotland for New Years Eve and "stay in a castle".There's the hunky fisherman who runs the lighthouse. (and literally walks around holding a fishing rod and fish because... he's a fisherman.) It would not have surprised me to see a young lad carrying his lunch folded up in a red polka-dot handkerchief tied to a stick, whistling and tipping his hat as he went on his merry way. Demi could wave from her log cabin (that no one has lived in for years yet is immaculately tidy, warm and cosy.) Yes, she could wave whilst typing on her "cool" typewriter! What are those? Well, they're like laptops but really s**t and pointless nowadays as any serious writer would tell you. So Demi is an American, who has moved to London, is a writer and doesn't have a laptop? Chances of that? Hmm... er none?The look of the film is somewhere between a Calvin Klein commercial shot on a beach, an Arena style poster of two young lovers huddled over coffee in a Volkswagen Beatle watching the rain, any cheesy 70s romance movie (I mean in this film, they are even riding on horseback at sunset down a beach within the first 20 minutes!) I could go on but let's change tack.It is the Sixth Sense and I bet the director and everyone involved is sick to the back teeth of people saying that. Well, they're saying it for a reason, so listen. Yep, Sixth Sense meets Don't Look Now meets a few bits from American Wearwolf in London.Where were the nasty, violent, Scottish smack-heads drunk on Buckfast? Ooh, everyone's so lovely and friendly in Scotland.. so wee... like bairns.I'm going now. I won't even mention Demi's 'hard-nosed' friend who works for the "Daily Press" tabloid in London Taaaan. (nice art direction lads, real subtle) "Always looking for the edge that's me, ooh, the scoop, what's the big story? That's what we do in Landan Taaaan... luv a bit of gos" Someone stop me please.I won't say don't see it. You won't have a choice. There's no way anyone would release this. It was awful.
Oh dear Demi
posted on 26 Apr 2009The film is one cliché after another, repeating all the iconic scenes of thriller/horror movies: "A sound...oops it's just the cat...relief...but then the killer jumps from behind...", and stuff like that. It is as if someone mixed "What lies Beneath", "A perfect murder", and "The Gift" in a big blender, but thankfully they added some sugar to the mix.The sugar here is sweet Demi Moore who has been very busy doing plastic surgeries we nearly forgot how fun it is to watch her act. Unfortunately the film is such a low profile production -like most of her latest movies- I only saw it accidentally on TV.Fans of Demi will pretty much enjoy this nice thriller. Far fetched and does not make sense, but aren't thrillers fun to watch because of that? Recommended if you -like myself- missed Demi and were frustrated by her short appearances in garbage like "Bobby" and "Whatshisname's Angels".
To the lighthouse
posted on 18 Apr 2009Rachel Carlson, who by the way was the name of a real novelist, lends her name to the character being played by Demi Moore in this film that seems to have "borrowed" different aspects of "Don't Look Now" and better made films of this genre as a vehicle for the star, an actress that shows to have no knack for choosing movie roles. After all, she deserves better. Unfortunately, the screen play by Craig Rosenberg, who also directed, doesn't make much sense. This seems to be a film that either the viewer loves it, as seems to be the case of most comments submitted to IMDb, or else hate it, as the other side seems to indicate. Our own experience was mixed. Demi Moore can be excellent with the right director behind her. Otherwise, she gives performances that will not add anything to her career. As a matter of fact, this film seems to have gone to DVD and cable right away, or at least, it has not garnered the wide audience the creators obviously wanted. There are some spooky elements in the film to get the viewer excited. It's just that as the film unfolds, it appears to be a case of deja vu. Or at least, we have figured it all out before it happens.
Perfect stormy night movie for lovers of the sea
posted on 25 Mar 2009I just finished remodeling my back lanai to watch the Florida skies. I did it in a nautical theme including a mural of a lighthouse in stormy weather. I thought this movie, which boosts a beautiful lighthouse in Scotland, would be the perfect way to inaugurate the new room, And I was so right.It was perfect. The movie has elements of mystery, romance and the supernatural. From a murder in the past to a mystery in the present, a dead child, a mystery writer trying to recover -- to a handsome, no, sexy lighthouse keeper and strange village folks nestled away in a small Scottish fishing village on the coast of the North Sea -- this movie was wonderful to watch.I don't understand why it wasn't at the movies when crappier movies are released weekly. Demi Moore reminds us she is quite the actress and Hans Matheson is about as dreamy as dreamy gets. The rest of the cast is flawless and the writer earns his stripes by toying with us. You never really know what's going until all is revealed.All in all, folks, what we have here is a throw back to the days of Gothic romance, dark shadows and Wuthering Heights with a killer twist ending.Rent it with your lover, sit back and be entertained.
Brilliant, thrilling and satisfying!
posted on 21 Mar 2009It has been years since a film in the genre of psychological thriller has left me with a satisfied feeling. The last one to really please this cranky critic was Nicole Kidman's film "The Others." I have to say, after seeing Half Light, it surpasses the latter.Half Light has everything, intelligent, compelling storyline, creative direction ripe with lavish imagery which really lend itself to the powerful - yet intentionally understated - story being told. When you think about what storytelling is about, Half Light most definitely represent meets every qualification. From Soundtrack and Direction, to performance and screenplay; Rarely does a film come together with every element tucked so perfectly in place.After not Seeing Demi Moore in anything I'd really liked since... well... Ghost, over a decade ago, I was more than startled to find this beautiful, exceedingly talented who I admit was absolutely an unexpected surprise. As the protagonist of this haunting film, Demi's performance is undeniably moving. This woman, despite her past film flops, is the real thing. While not a film you have to watch closely, you'll want to. The storyline is so fully realized, and in multiple dimensions, that you want to go back and catch small things here and there that most casual watchers will miss until the great "reveal" - which will leave you literally breathless.This film is the kind of quality that moviegoers should expect from Hollywood. Unfortunately, because studios have become nothing more than an industry machine, churning out nonsensical, insubstantial fluff, we have to rely on the quiet genius of independent filmmakers to really deliver the impact we look for in our theatrical experiences. This is a perfect example of this.Rent it, buy the DVD, you will not be disappointed by this clever, clean thriller.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. A Demi Moore straight-to-video film.
posted on 19 Mar 2009Half-Light (2006) is a chick flick masquerading as a horror film at your local video store. All the bright lights and soft lenses try to cover up the flaws in Ms. Moore's $500,000 plastic surgery job. Demi stars as a writer who's current life is coming unglued thanks to a fatal accident. Needing to recover from the trauma and some inspiration for a new best-selling novel, she heads for the British Isles. Whilst in country, she learns more about herself, those around her and a new side of life. How does all this fit into a Direct-to-Video movie? One will have to find out when you take a chance on HALF-LIGHT.A bad movie with no redeeming qualities. If it wasn't for the cinematography I would have gave this a one. Demi Moore needs to start acting her age and find some better films. Cheers,Not recommended at all.
This was the low point of Demi Moore's carrier
posted on 15 Mar 2009I suppose Demi Moore has lost her spirit, because I think there was no one in history that cannot play that her/his child was drowned just two minutes before. I was just so surprised that my mouth was actually hanging open for about two minutes. Or another thing is that she gave the same expression that she used in G.I. Jane and according to the movie's plot that doesn't seems to be a good thing. And she's seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she is in a horror film which means that she can scream or make weird faces which i suppose she is not capable of. But not just she was the problem with the movie because there were some odd things like why wanted her son kill her or why everything is just so familiar from the Ring (horses, island with lighthouse, ant the whole mirror thing). I hate when directors steal something from another movies whose where cool and they are not so cool. I never write bad reviews but that movie was just too awful for me and i just couldn't avoid the temptation to write about it.
great!
posted on 23 Feb 2009it was a very hot july evening in warsaw and i didn't feel like doing anything in particular. so i decided to watched the movie only to kill some time. i am not a huge fan of Demi M (i really hated "ghost" and "indecent proposal". fortunately haven't seen "G.I Jane") but i must honestly admit that it was some kind of acting. the movie was great. i felt like watching "6th sense". way to go girl! at first i thought it was so cliché. her son dies in first 10 minutes of the movie. she goes on with her life. she tries to continue her writing career in a fantastic, isolated place. she meets a perfect guy and so on. it seems to be a typical romance. but ... the real story begins. the place she tries to write her next novel is like from a fairytale. a really beautiful place. i wonder if it really exists or it is just a computer-job (the scene when she and angus went up on the top of the lighthouse and there was their reflection in the window seemed to be so unreal).
Badly directed and acted
posted on 03 Feb 2009Lovely scenery as expected but it was Hollywood trying to do A Plot and failing. Demi Moore simply can't act and she must have been botoxed to near mummification because she had the same expression throughout.The plot was telegraphed and the 'twists' may as well have had Bendy Road Ahead signs put up as it was so obvious what was going to happen.Good points: The scenery - magnificent The story was actually good but ruined by the...Bad Points ...the acting and... ...the direction Any semblance of logic.By the latter; why would locals build a set of swings on the beach BELOW the high tide mark? Most of all, how on earth did Demi stumble onto the Ty Coch and find it open? I've never been able to do that! The Ty Coch is the red pub in Porth Dinllaen where Demi Moore bravely finishes of 1/20th of pint in one go!Half Light was mostly filmed in North Wales in Anglesey and a bit in Porth Dinllaen (which is down on the beach from Morfa Nefyn). Some of it was shot on the A55 by Betws y Coed and a tad in Cornwall - all to give it that authentic Scottish look and feel.Some bits were filmed by a canal in North London for the opening sequences.The film, in the right hands, could have been superb but even so as an advertisement for the Llyn and Anglesey (or Scotland) then it can't go too far wrong.Sadly Demi, after The Seventh Sign, went downhill fast in my estimation as an actress. This film has done nothing to stop this descent and she gives me the same sort of sympathy towards her character as did the two leads in 'Open Water'; or, as I like to call it, "Two Whining Yanks Get Their Comeuppance In Shark Infested Waters".
Boring !!!
posted on 18 Jan 2009I'm not a fan of Demi Moore so maybe this affects my enjoyment of the movie, but most of it was very slow and very boring. A couple of medium-to-good scares, but otherwise fairly predictable. Much of my enjoyment of a movie concerns character-development in the story: do I begin to care about any of these people? In this movie (like so many others these days) I really did not care what happens to any of these people in the end. Sure, there were some sympathetic characters, but only minor players in the story. Demi Moore's acting was labored and contrived much of the time. And the days of Demi as a sex-pot are certainly gone. So it came down to mostly the story and the acting, neither of which was at all compelling.
What a pleasant surprise!
posted on 19 Dec 2008I had never heard of this movie when my husband rented it, and was pleasantly surprised. Demi Moore was excellent, but i felt like Hans Matheson really was the top performer in this movie. His wonderful Scottish accent and sweet face made him extremely appealing, making you want to check out other movies he was in. The scenery was beautiful, and I absolutely fell in love with the light house. It was really neat to see wild horses on the light house island. I loved the mysterious plot, but the movie left me a little sad. There were a lot of plot twists, and I watched the movie two days in a row to see if I could figure out a couple of things! This is a movie that I will probably buy to keep, so I can watch it from time to time.
I think it just could have been more
posted on 17 Dec 2008I was so not interested in seeing Half Light, I'm not much of a Demi Moore fan. Especially since her recent publicity of Charlie's Angels, I mean, a person gets plastic surgery, and everyone worships them? It doesn't work for me, but then when I recently went onto IMDb, I just was surfing and found my old love, Hans Matheson and saw that he did this movie and how I passed it so many times at the video store. So, as shallow as it sounds, for an old memory, I figured I'd give this a watch.Half Light is about a woman who has just lost her son to a horrible drowning, she has guilt over it because she was supposed to play with him that day and could've prevented it. She is getting a divorce and deciding to write her next book out in the country of Scotland. She meets a handsome young man, but then finds out that supposedly he's been dead for some years, but there is more to figure out to the story later.It's a good story and could've been so much, I actually might have enjoyed Demi. But the problem was that the story kinda bored me and it seemed to drag on. It either could've been summed up or the maybe it was the writing or the actors, but I think you get my point. Especially when you see this movie, but judge for yourself.6/10
Great story in a even better environment
posted on 30 Aug 2009After seeing this film on a festival near Maastricht, I really have to comment on this movie. I really think every1 should go and see this movie, since it has everything: A great story, The setting is brilliant, thrills and it really keeps you on the tip of your seat all the time. It all ends with a I-didn't-see-that-one-coming-end.The lead is played by Demi Moore and i really think she should get an Oscar for this one... Her husband (Henry Ian Cusick)however has performed better in his earlier movies, he didn't shine in this one, but that doesn't spoil the fun :DAll go and watch this movie, Its definitely worth your time.