Movie Review: Half Light (2006)

Half Light is a British horror movie written and directed by Craig Rosenberg.

Demi Moore stars as, grieving mother, Rachel Carlson. Shortly after her 5-year-old son is drowned, Rachel leaves her home in the city and moves to a secluded cottage on the Scottish coast to resume her writing career.

However, it’s not long before spooky things start happening and Rachel begins to believe the ghost of her son may have followed her.

One local woman, who apparently sees dead people, certainly seems to have an insight into the situation. Be warned, though. Things are not always what they appear to be in this movie and there are plenty of twists in the tail.

Demi Moore provides a convincing performance as the grieving writer and the movie’s setting is perfect for a supernatural thriller. Wild sea, barren coastline, and a lonely lighthouse—what more could you ask from a horror movie?

When I watched Half Light, there were a couple of things I saw coming, but there were far more that I didn’t and, as far as the important things go, I was kept guessing until the end of the movie.

Half Light has been described as a Hitchcockian thriller with a supernatural twist. I think that’s a good description, but early on in the movie, it could also be classified as a weepy. The thought of losing a child is bound to stir up a certain amount of emotions for most viewers. A lot of people may be able to put themselves in Rachel’s shoes and sympathise with the situation she finds herself in when her son is drowned—all of the toys are there, but the child that should be playing with the toys is not. All she has left are feelings of guilt and regret.

Half Light is a certificate 15 in the UK and the DVD case warns viewers to expect scenes of “moderate threat” and “gory moments”, but all the gory scenes are quickly over and are unlikely to result in anyone losing their lunch. There was a little blood here and there, but nothing too over the top. The creepiest thing about the Half Light movie? Possibly the strange collection of dolls the local seer of dead people has accumulated in her home.