Well, Mangold takes his time revealing it to us. The problem is that he directs the first two-thirds like every horror film you've ever seen; you know exactly what will happen next, down to the tiny details. This means there's no suspense or horror, merely a creepy vibe and a sneaking suspicion that there's something fishy here. Indeed there is, and if he'd let us in on the secret earlier the film could have been a startling, provocative gem. The same complaint could be made about the performances, which are in the cheesy horror movie mould, except perhaps Cusack, who is far more natural and authentic than the twitching and/or screaming folk around him (Busey is especially corny). And the production values equally plunder the genre with the incessant thunderstorm (roads are washed out and there are no phones), menacing shadows and sounds, and even a sparking power line! Then when it starts getting unbearably hackneyed, the film shifts. The final third is so bracingly original and unexpected that I won't say anything more. Besides that it's a pity Mangold couldn't come up with an original way to make things terrifying. Because this will only scare easily frightened people who haven't seen very many movies.