The Shrine -Yeah, not so bad  

If you've seen more than two horror films since the nineteen seventies, you've probably seen a car load of good looking Americans going somewhere they shouldn't and running into something they wished they hadn't.

Sometimes it's rednecks, other times monsters and occasionally plants and flesh-eating diseases. The Shrine is just another one to be added to the genre.

Three journalists travel to Poland (as far as I know not known for its rednecks, monsters or flesh-eating bacteria) in search of a missing boy. They find... well, let's just say they should probably have stayed in a Starbucks restaurant in New York.

I've seen dozens of films like this and what makes them either good or bad is, in my opinion, whether the characters are likeable and whether or not they behave in a way we can relate to. Of course, like in any horror film, many won't make the final reel, but at least in The Shrine you can tick both counts. The characters are decent enough to relate to (okay, so no major character development, but it has gore, so that's a good substitute, right?) and, if you can ignore them going to an out-of-the-way Polish village in the first place, they don't spend the rest of the movie running headlong into obviously dangerous situations.

Obviously, there's better out there and this one never borrows elements from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostel and even the Exorcist, but still it should keep you entertained for an hour and a half.

Note: if you ever go to Poland... don't look at their statues

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Kruger was haunting your nights