You would have probably noticed that recently we've had a whole bunch a horror/slasher films that involve teens. Most of them turn out to be rather mediocre affairs involving a lot screaming. I was rather tempted to brush aside this film as another teen-flick, but then, to my surprise, the movie was rather creepy and scary.

Dealing with the subject of death, the movie is unique in the way that it does not have a particular focus character which is the cause of all the deaths. Instead, the killer is an unseen force: the pattern of death. The movie goes on to reveal a more about this pattern with chilling lines and morbid characters. However some lines in the movie are corny, but this fact is forgivable because they are not many.

The movie does well in scaring audiences by building up the suspense and tension. I'm sure I was not the only one who jumped in my seat during some well-timed scenes. I won't tell you the what the scenes are, but watch the movie and you will get my point. Although, be forewarned that the death scenes in this movie are rather violent. So, if you can't stomach that kind of stuff, avoid this movie.

The main characters are believable as they are not over-exaggerated. Previous movies tended to emphasise a lot screaming. Thankfully, the screaming here is not overdone. Alex Browning (Devon Sawa), is potrayed as young man unsure of his own abilities of predicting death, thus adding to the suspense of the movie. There is also some comedy in the form of Billy (Seann W. Scott), a guy who is just trying to get on with his life but is inadvertly drawn into the thick of things. Ali Carter plays Clear Rivers, a girl who is bold yet fragile at the same time, making her character interesting. Rounding of the leads is Kerr Smith, who plays a hothead that refuses to believe that he is subject to fate.

With good pace and unique premise, this is one of the better horror movies of the year.