Story: the town of Cold Rock is crumbling after the loss of the mine that supported it. Nurse Julia is trying not to crumble after the death of her husband, the town doc. When an ongoing series of child disappearances directly affect Julia, she goes on a search to find The Tall Man, a legendary – and most say mythological – man that has been blamed for the disappearances. But who or what, is the real threat, and what’s truly going on in this town?

Scares: this has more of a thriller vibe than horror, despite the creepy poster. But it still manages to dig into your soul for a bit.

Splat Factor: lots of blood whenever someone gets hurt running from or trying to catch someone.

Closing Scene “Shocker”?: No, but there’s a definite WTF moment halfway in which is pretty damn good, not to mention several twists and turns all the way through.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: An original. Mos def.

Trick or Treat?: Okay, before I get into the thick of things, can I just say how absolutely amazing Jessica Biel is in this film? Because her performance is the definition of Tour de Force. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Webster just swapped their annotation will a still of her in this film.) Phew, thanks. Had to get that out. It’s also nice to see little Twilight‘s Bree Tanner as a mute girl who is attached to Julia. She’s also the narrator, which should be a tip-off to the unique storyline of the film.

I have to come clean; I started on this review several times. But this movie defies preconceived ideas. Just let it play out, because even if you think you know how things are gonna go, you’re probably wrong. Even if by some miracle you’re right – *coughCheckedWikipediacough* -it’s still thrilling to watch.

The Tall Man is like a Mystery Flavor Dum-dum; a Halloween delight that will keep you guessing.

Score: out of 5 pumpkins.