BELIEVE (2000)
Upon glancing at writer/director Robert Tinnell's IMDb page, it becomes apparent that his heart is in the right place. Those are probably the most glowing words I can dish on Believe, a domesticated "haunted house" flick that barely earns its PG rating. I considered skipping out on this capsule. But! It's not too shabby. A teenaged boy is forced to move in with his salty grandfather, and almost immediately, he notices a ghost on the premises. Is his grandfather hiding some abstruse family secret? If so, what does it have to do with the family across the street? I'll level with you. Believe is remarkably light stuff. If it were a boxer, it would inhabit the featherweight division. Or bantamweight. I don't know anything about boxing. You may have seen the (admittedly cool) VHS cover in the horror section at Blockbuster, but it's horror by rote. There is no blood. Even the atmosphere is flimsy despite a preponderance of the action taking place near a cemetery.
But! Again! I've seen worse, especially when it comes to family-friendly spookshows. Ricky Mabe gives a favorable performance as our lead. His girlfriend is played by a young Elisha Cuthbert. This was well before her breakout turn in 24. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen (you creep). All of the adults are fine, but Believe is tailored for the young adult demographic. Unfortunately, it's missing the wackiness of Goosebumps or Eerie, Indiana. Still, I'll give it a halfhearted recommendation, listless though it may be. That's all I got.
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