CASTING Thora Birch, grumpy teen from American Beauty, in a horror, especially as a grumpy teen, isn't necessarily a problem.

When the character has a supposedly successful and sophisticated blonde counterpart, this is a mistake.

Birch only does sullen, so one role in the film is entirely miscast, while the disjointed and almost impossible-to-follow storyline rumbles along at a jarring pace, unfortunately preventing any enjoyment of what is still, essentially, a pretty scary horror.

Some appalling attempts at American accents from the Brits in the cast don't help, though the smattering of gore keeps things tingling, just... slightly marred by a whopping helping of cheese.