Hansel And Gretel

Bearing only loose resemblance to its fairy tale namesake, Hansel And Gretel is a relatively light take on the Japanese Horror genre.

A man has a car accident on a remote stretch of highway, and stumbles off into the woods to collapse. Upon waking, a smiling young girl greets him, and takes him back to a secluded house where he is fed and cared for by a family with three young children, until the parents disappear, and the children start calling him Uncle.

The acting, writing, and cinematography are good, but the plot is a bit uneven. Specifically, the whole thing seems to be building toward a nice scary demonic climax, only to suddenly switch course about halfway through. Not an entirely pleasant surprise, since trying to build empathy for a dark force usually makes the entire presentation weaker.

So the tone is a bit inconsistent, and the ending a bit unsatisfying. Still, there's something charming about parts of it, and in the end the whole thing is fun if a little underwhelming.