The Pact

While it’s rewarding to see the horror genre get back to its creepy, shocking roots—and deal more with isolation and fear—there still needs to be enough forward momentum in the story to keep one’s attention. The Pact is small and claustrophobic, but it never really goes anywhere. After her mother’s death, Annie (Caity Lotz) returns home to find strange goings-on, including the disappearance of her sister. There’s more dread than blood—again, a great development for the genre—but the payoff doesn’t make up for the patience required to get there. Oh, and there’s a makeshift Ouija board. Yawn. Lotz seems to have more going for her than just scream-queen roles, but The Pact doesn’t give us much else.