Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good concept, poorly executed.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

I really can't say enough bad things about this movie. The plot lines are choppy, the acting is terrible, and so much happens that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I dare say I've regretfully lost a precious 84 minutes of my life which I will never be able to get back. I'll mention a couple of things specifically. There's a car crash which looks to be devastating involving the main characters are thrown off a bridge. Following that, there are no noticeable wounds or damage to them. They seem to carry on as though it never happened. Then some bizarre scene with what is supposed to be the tooth fairy I think puts a piano in a hallway and chases the mother and daughter out of their house. Next thing you know,, we inexplicably jump ahead in time. It was either 18 months, or 18 years. I forget which, and the fact that I just watched this train wreck should be an indication as to the quality of this movie. I could go on, but I won't. I think you get the point. Listen to Nancy Regan, and just say no!

Picture this, a blockbuster employee locked in an immobilizing state of flux. Poised between genres, DVD in hand. Then he takes the first tantalizing steps, he is no fool. For he has actually watched "the haunting of Helena" and is not swayed by the devilishly frightening front cover (that which pulled me in I'm afraid) Carefully placing the DVD upon the shelves labeled "comedy" The Blockbuster employee walks away, satisfied at a job well done.The haunting of Helena is not an awful watch really, that being said it is not at all a horror. It fits into a category better described as "horredy". A horror so poorly conducted that it causes genuine hilarity and thus through a great accident manages to become mildly entertaining.The protagonist, so memorable her name is in fact one of the only character names I cannot recall, is (for want of a better description) a big wet lettuce. She whines so much it's no wonder her life is in danger all the time, I wanted to kill her too, I would have at least put a measure of effort into making my crimes somewhat scary. The film starts in a promising way, I was impressed by the first scare tactic which took away from the typical "false scare real scare" that is so over used these days. But generally there are a lot of unnecessary over-complications to the plot. I am still unsure as to why the militia were ever involved in anything? Also. Who cut that child's hair? Now that's truly horrendous.

There is a very arresting sequence in this film, when a young child cowers under a table as bloody teeth rain down from the ceiling. And that's about it. Stuffed full of ugly actors (the main woman with her huge facial mole could be a female Chesney Hawkes) who also aren't very good thespians, and with some very silly death scenes involving mosquitoes (?) this is a huge disappointment. The plot shows promise, but then it gets overtaken by tedium and the end result is just a waste of time. In a better film, the ending might have stood out, but here you're just glad the dross is over.And AGAIN the name change... In the UK this film is known as Fairytale. Perhaps the makers are ashamed of their efforts, and are seeking to dissociate themselves from the final product? Have these people ever heard of CREDITS?! DOH!! 4/10

Let me say first, this is actually a "foreign" film. It is in English 99% of the time, but the other 1% required subtitles for the written parts. The parts of the film such as newspaper articles were all in Italian. The speaking is not done with voice overs, thank goodness, hate that, but the written information that was subtitled was also tiny on the screen so it was hard to read and they swiftly disappeared making them hard to catch somewhat. As far as the acting, it was very common acting portrayal for Italian films so I can see how someone would assume the acting was bad, which it was not. If you are used to foreign films you would not think the acting is bad, you'd understand that emotional expressions by people in other countries do not necessarily equate with "American" standards of the US. As someone who speaks fluently and studied several languages and cultures this is a good movie. The creepy aspects are well done! Dario Argento fans would definitely be pleased or anyone who actually understands other cultures and watches foreign films regularly. If you are someone who only watches American films and "blockbusters" and rarely watch any kind of "Indie" film, you might as well pass and allow the more culturally competent film aficionado to enjoy this horror film as it stands in its gruesome frightening way.