Cold Creek Manor

'Cold Creek Manor' arrives on these shores with some of the worst reviews this side of a Ben 'n' Jen double bill. And though this Mike Figgis package holiday of a thriller shouldn't be confused with a classic, it certainly isn't as cheap as you might think. in fact it is almost - but not quite - redeemed by the efforts of its cast. Doing a good Harrison Ford impersonation, Dennis Quaid plays documentary filmmaker Cooper Tilson, who along with his high powered missus, Leah (Stone) decides to move from New York City to an upstate farmhouse. In the best traditions of Hollywood, the gaff needs a bit of work, but the Tilson family are up to the job. Of course, they're initially blissfully unaware that the house once belonged to the family of psycho nutter Dale Massie (Dorff), who convinces Cooper to hire him to help fix up the property. As soon as Dale has whipped off his shirt Leah is having immoral thoughts about him, while he's plotting to kill them all. That said, Cooper's decision to make a documentary about Dale's dysfunctional family doesn't exactly help matters.

You don't need me to tell you that it's only a matter of time before bad things start happening, but Figgis and his well heeled cast handle what should be an unbearable screenplay with a measure of style. The plotting may be fairly predictable - the film flirts with a couple of obvious genres before going for the no-holds barred (and rather nonsensical as it happens) thrill fest. The performances take things out of the mire, however, with the snarling Dorff and the resilient Quaid the two stand outs. It's just a shame the same amount of intelligence wasn't applied to screenplay.