Towards the end of World War 2, the German military was on its backfoot. The Allies were gaining ground, pushing the Third Reich out of France. It is here that we are introduced to our five main characters in a chilling opening sequence. I maintain to this day that what you don’t see is always scarier. Sadly, the true scariness stops here. The characters are American soldiers who look a little too clean for having spent this much time fighting tyranny. There is the baby-faced lieutenant in charge and the rest of his squad, each idiosyncratic enough to stand out from the other. They shamble through fields and French towns, killing Nazis and comforting citizens. Their mission: defend a chateau (that apparently has some strategic advantage that is never explained) for an undisclosed amount of time. They relieve the weary soldiers at the chateau who are a little over eager for them to take charge. One relieved soldier even leaves his pack behind. Soon enough, the tropes of haunted house films creepily unfold. The new occupants explore the house, investigating ominous sounds and having sightings of figures behind curtains. The sniper-soldier charged with overwatch security sees ghostly images through his scope. One soldier, who conveniently knows morse code, German, and whatever else the plot needs, uncovers pertinent books and artifacts in the basement. While he begins to unravel and explain exposition, the soldiers repel a German attack on the manor. Some of these Germans are dispatched via supernatural means. Of course, these means are a family of ghosts haunting the house that love jumping out to announce their presence when things get too quiet. The Americans begin to understand rather too easily that their charge to protect the house has severe baggage attached to it. This would do well enough as a stand alone story. It is something we have seen executed many times before; the auxiliary WW2 backdrop would’ve given it a unique setting. But the plot jumps traffic lanes the last 25 minutes. We are introduced to a plot twist which comes about two decades too late. There is an attempt to drop clues and provide foreshadowing that gives justification to it. The plot meanders through hazes of themes at the end that ask us to draw connotations and parallels. I cannot reveal the exact messages without giving away too much. That therein lies the problem. The motifs of brotherhood and “doing the right thing” are littered throughout the first hour of the film already. The superfluous additive the third act gives us does not add to these themes.

An overarching score by Mike Suby blends the drifting setting of horror and war quite well. The scarier moments are paired with a solemn piece of music playing right before. As one would expect from a horror film chock full of jumpscares, there exists the accompanying, assaulting sound bites. If jumpscares aren’t your thing, consider giving this film a pass. But the foley artists did more than just compliment jarring imagery with sharp bangs or stinging staccato hits. The creep factor is amplified by subtle foot steps, morse code rapping on pipes, and raspy taunts on a radio.