The promise of an R rating going into the theatre leads to this
question on the way out: Why? Nothing in this tepid kid-from-Hell
“thriller” justifies anything above a PG-13. Minimal violence, zero
scares, and the best scene — involving Bradley Cooper and a lot of
wasps, most of them inside him — calls to mind the creepier cockroach-
infestation in Creepshow. I've never been a Renee Zellweger fan, and
in this movie, her breathy voice is the most horrific element. Plus,
the kid — who looks like Wednesday Addams — needs a few more acting
lessons to properly terrify. My tip: even though I panned it, rent
Orphan instead. — Jeff Schultz