Old school fantasy fun
Seen through the eyes of a child this adaptation, may lack originality but is nonetheless fast paced, contains enough fantasy to balance the family drama and is scary, at times very scary. Freddie Highmore stars as a set of twins who move with Mom and Sis out to the country to a house with spells, fairies, and monsters aplenty–using retro special effects. (Think “Gremlins” not “Gollum”.)
Grade: B+
Rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements.