About.com Rating

The horror genre frequently blends with comedy, science fiction, action and thriller, but horror-drama hybrids are less common. Irish import The Eclipse dares to fill that void with a thoughtful ghost story whose deliberate pace and rounded characters reflect writer/director Conor McPherson's playwright roots.

The Plot

Michael (Ciarán Hinds) is a mild-mannered shop teacher living in the seaside town of Cobh, Ireland, who's been raising his adolescent son and daughter alone for the two years since his wife's death from cancer.

He's been glumly drifting through widower life without much incident until one night he hears strange sounds in his house and sees a shadowy figure appear and disappear. Initially, he thinks it's his father-in-law, but he's safe and sound in his nursing home. As incident after incident piles up, though, he begins to wonder if his house -- or he himself -- is haunted.

As luck would have it, an English author named Lena Morelle (Iben Hjejle) who specializes in ghostly encounters comes to town for the annual literary festival. Michael is a volunteer for the festival, and when he's asked to chauffeur Lena around town, he uses the opportunity to broach the subject with her. The two bond over shared experiences and grow close over the next few days.

Unfortunately, Lena is haunted by her own "ghost," a very-much-alive fellow author named Nicholas Holden (Aidan Quinn) who continues to pine for her following a one-night stand months earlier. Though married, the charismatic but pompous Nicholas pursues Lena during the festival, growing increasingly jealous of her relationship with "commoner" Michael.

As the love triangle comes to a head, Michael is pushed to the breaking point, torn between Lena, the hauntings and his devotion to his family.

The End Result

The Eclipse is more of a supernatural drama than it is a dramatic thriller or horror movie. It's a character-driven film that explores human emotion, interaction and dependence, and it does so well -- based largely on the strength of the cast. Hinds, an atypically haggard leading man, carries a quiet dignity as Michael, a man haunted by more than just ghosts. Hjejle is likable as a harried author trying to juggle a complicated love life with her unexpected fame. Quinn, meanwhile, steals every scene he's in, injecting humor as elitist novelist Nicholas, a man as obnoxious as he is charming. It's a refreshingly mature cast in a mature film that rarely delves into the excess of genre expectations.

Despite its dramatic inclination, director McPherson does manage to generate a few genuine chills in The Eclipse, building a creepy atmosphere with classic bumps in the night and shadows rather than cliched musical cues -- granted, there are a couple of jolting "boo" scares that, while effective, feel out of place in an otherwise refined film. McPherson does, though, make wonderful use of the natural beauty of the Irish coast, its gray skies and undeveloped expanses lending to the haunting theme and its scenic views supporting the romantic elements.

Of course, it's the latter -- the human interactions, rather than the supernatural ones -- that form the heart of the movie. It's difficult to make cinematic romances feel real, but The Eclipse nails it: the awkwardness, the small talk, the realization of commonality, the misunderstandings, the heartache. Michael's relationships with his kids and father-in-law likewise ring true (sometimes painfully so), to the point that viewers expecting an outright fright fest might find the film's human focus boring. But the more open-minded will find it admirable how The Eclipse's independent streak eschews Hollywood sentimentality in favor of realism and open-ended storytelling.

It's that storytelling, however, that represents the weakest aspect of the film. The script's mix of horror and drama is at times jarring, and certain plot elements aren't explored deeply enough to avoid a frustrating vagueness. We get the gist of things, but while the lack of clarity spurs debate, a little further digging into the characters and their circumstances could've enhanced the emotional experience. That said, The Eclipse is still an engaging portrait of loss and love.

The Skinny

• Acting: B (Strong efforts all around.)
• Direction: B- (Beautiful scenery and genuinely creepy moments.)
• Script: C (Smart and character-driven, but doesn't delve deep enough.)
• Gore/Effects: C (Only a couple of brief moments requiring blood and/or special effects.)
• Overall: C+ (An attractive supernatural drama with intriguing characters and a superb cast.)

The Eclipse is directed by Conor McPherson and is rated R by the MPAA for language and some disturbing images. Release date: March 26, 2010.