Nitro Video Rating:
PURCHASE THE DVD: Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Clunky, awkwardly written and completely devoid of any hinted-at intriguing supernatural elements, Cold Creek Manor still manages several tense moments thanks to some excellent performances from leads Dennis Quaid, Stephen Dorff and Sharon Stone. Quaid and Stone play a New York City-based married couple who flee the big city for quieter country living after their youngest child is struck by an SUV on the way to school. Their new home, an upstate estate called “Cold Creek Manor” is eerie, but the only thing haunting the place is edgy Stephen Dorff, the estate’s former owner who is newly out of jail.

A bunch of run-ins with snakes and angry townies put the newcomers on edge, but soon Quaid starts to uncover a deeper mystery involving “Cold Creek Manor’s” former inhabitants – and such a discovery may very well threaten the lives of his family.

While the plot rambles and defies all manner of even the most rudimentary logic, it’s a pleasure watching Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid act as a married couple. Additionally, Stephen Dorff’s intensity is very satisfying, especially when coupled with the mighty Christopher Plummer (who has a small, but memorable role) and trailer-trash trouper Juiette Lewis. Too bad the screenplay couldn’t have risen to the bravado levels of the cast, as Cold Creek Manor doesn’t even manage a chill.

A greater mystery than any raised in the movie? Just who is the Cold Creek Manor “Polaroid Girl?". No data, whatsoever exists as to the identity of the woman who portrayed “Lorna Massie” in home movies and in racy Polaroids. Perhaps she’s the ghost this movie is so sorely missing!

• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 2, 2004
• Run Time: 118 minutes