Gabrielle Anwar stars as Claire Holloway, a successful children’s author (think J.K. Rowling) who is drawn to a small town after a succession of freaky nightmares. Once Claire arrives in town her dreams worsen and she begins to see a ghostly boy and a young girl in the house she is renting. Claire contacts paranormal investigator Hunt (Forest Whitaker) who agrees to help her uncover the dark secret the residents have been hiding for years.
The film starts out exceptionally well, and it has to be said, looks absolutely stunning throughout due to high production values, excellent set design and gorgeous cinematography. The cast do great jobs, and there are a lot of really creepy moments here too.
The Marsh is not without its problems however, and they are mainly pacing issues and the story. Every hoary old spook house cliché is checked off along the way, and it takes its time in doing so. That said the film is still full of interesting camera angles and great effects work to keep viewers entertained.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Whilst The Marsh offers relatively nothing new to the haunted house sub-genre, it is a well acted and beautifully realized addition to the straight to DVD horror boom.
