Just watched this on TV (didn't spend $20+ at the theater like many of the other reviewers). First, I must admit to being a real lightweight when it comes to scary movies! If the genre is listed as "horror", I do NOT watch it (but I do like a good "thriller", which is what my listings called "The Messengers"). Therefore, I am not extremely jaded on this subject -- which, in my opinion, the previous reviewers are! That being said, I thought this was a pretty good movie and plenty scary. I "jumped" a LOT of times and also actually felt my spine tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck rise quite a lot of times.Flaws do pretty much abound in the plot and directing, but I thought the acting was top-notch and I had no complaints about the cinematography. I never saw any "mics" in the picture, either!

Roy (Dylan McDermott) and Denise (Penelope Ann Miller) are moving their family out onto a farm. Daughter Jess (Kristen Stewart) holds the reason for the move and her not allowed to drive. The young son is unable to speak. They are growing sunflowers, but are harassed by aggressive crows. Colby Price from the bank offers 15% premium for the property but Roy refuses to sell. There is a helpful neighbor Burwell (John Corbett) and townie boy Bobby (Dustin Milligan) who is interested in Jess.This is a reasonably made horror, but the story just doesn't have enough tension. It's not scary at any point. It is a really simple haunted house story. There isn't much of a mystery. When it actually reveals something, it isn't actually interesting. There is nothing special or original in this.

I can only imagine that the sad and lonely fan-club members of Kristen Stewart must have executed a successful IMDb "Vote or Die" campaign to provide a break from doing their day-long "wrist exercises." But at least you won't need opposable thumbs to reap a climax here because this movie is stale, refried Follywood crap on a copper spoon. But if you liked "Drag Me to Hell" than this one might be your crowning glory. The impotent storyline hasn't the slightest hint of anything original while the scripting appropriately follows suit. As for the score, I couldn't really hear it over the sound of the lame harbingers of death we call crows. And unfortunately for our cute, bucktooth heroin the best "acting" seen in this movie is proffered by a toddler. His sometimes excessive "pointing" is not only utterly riveting drama at its best, but clearly deserving of, at the least, an Oscar nomination. You'll find more thrills and horror in My Big Fat Greek Wedding than the Messengers will provide-not to mention the humus, Tahini sauce, and a pseudo-original plot. This movie isn't a complete mess in respect to the cinematography, as there are some well planned and executed shots of a sunflower field. But still...flush first, ask questions later.

I saw this right now in Cinemax, five years later of the cinema screening. I saw it because the directors and screen-players were the same of The Ring, it was a bonus.The intro in black and white (a flashback of the previous owners of the house) is really good, I get stuck to my TV. Scary, well done effects, music, cinematography. So far so good.Then when the actual family moves in, well it's all the same I saw countless times in many, many, many... and I mean: many movies.The abandoned house, the new family move in it, the noises, the visions, the ghosts, are really a cliché. You can play with clichés, but put a new dress on them. Don't trace them like using onion paper.I'm not surprised the DVD is only $1.95 in amazon.com A bargain but with no salt and pepper for all horror fans like me.