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The Messengers has all the elements of a good scary movie, including unseen things that go bump in the night, little kids who stare at things no one else can see, and a remote location with crazed birds. Unfortunately, that’s about it. The story is reminiscent of several other films in the past, including 2006’s The Return, 2003’s Cold Creek Manor, and The Amityville Horror and its remake, to name but a few.

This time around, the Solomon family buys a dilapidated farm in North Dakota and starts planting sunflowers. Father/husband Roy (played by Dylan McDermott), and mother/wife Denise (played by Penelope Ann Miller) have two children, teenage daughter Jess (played by Kristen Stewart), and toddler Ben (played by Evan and Theodore Turner). Apparently something happened in the big city that not only made Ben stop chattering away as most toddlers do, but also made Jess’s parents feel the need to take her away from any negative influences and start fresh in the middle of nowhere.

One day, Burwell (played by John Corbett) passes through, and timing being what it is in movies, he is hired on the spot to help with the sunflowers, live with the Solomon’s and generally lend a hand where needed. 

When Jess and Ben start seeing strange things and hearing weird noises, of course no one believes Jess, and she is alone facing some weird force in the house. Then there are the crazy crows, ripped straight out of a scene from The Birds, which attack unprovoked and fly in circle above the house and property like a huge dark cloud.

The Messengers is directed by brothers Danny Pang and Oxide Pang, the Hong Kong duo behind 2002’s The Eye. They present the film in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, an alternate French-language track, and optional English and French subtitles. Extras include commentary from Kristen Stewart, writer Mark Wheaton, supporting actor Dustin Milligan, and Bruce Jones (special effects), as well as producer Jason Shuman briefly.

Extras include “Exhuming the Messengers”, a group of seven featurettes about the directors, script, set design, visual effects, ravens, and Kristen Stewart and John Corbett.

Although there’s nothing new in The Messengers, don’t let that stop you from watching it if you like these kids of films. It’s good enough, and does provide some chills, albeit expected ones. Just don’t go hoping this film will break new ground, because The Messengers has definitely been done before.