Shelter - DVD

Film: Cara Harding (Julianne Moore) is an expert in the field of multiple personality disorders. It is not uncommon for her expert opinion to determine whether or not a criminal actually suffers from such a mental disorder and can therefore be held responsible for his crimes. Since this is sometimes also a decision of life or death by execution, Cara has to gnaw hard on her job many a time. But when her father, a renowned psychiatrist, asks for her help in the case of Adam (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), at first everything seems like a very relaxed, almost easy assignment. But it soon becomes apparent that Adam does indeed seem to be suffering from multiple personality disorder, with not only his mental demeanor changing as he switches between personalities, but his physical condition as well. What's even more unusual is that each of the personalities that has taken possession of Adam has actually lived and been the victim of a brutal murder. What Cara doesn't yet suspect is that the further she progresses in her investigation, the more sinister this case becomes, eventually leading her into a world more terrifying than anything she's dared to believe so far...

Swedish directors Måns Mårlind and Bjorn Stein have crafted a solid horror thriller with "Shelter" that boasts a genuinely suspenseful premise. Thanks to good performances by Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("The Tudors") and decent visual effects, a very engaging atmosphere is created after just a few minutes, which is steadily enhanced by the good camerawork and well-used shock moments.

However, despite the atmospheric beginning and the definitely existing arc of suspense, "Shelter" unfortunately doesn't really manage to keep it up until the end. On the contrary. Because the script by Michael Cooney, who already fished in similar waters with "Identity", doesn't increase the suspense, but rather slowly reduces it after a first climax. So a promising beginning is followed by a good, still suspenseful middle section that unfortunately runs out of steam even more by the end. The ending, especially the last shot, is still quite effective in a way, but too hackneyed to really surprise anymore. The high expectations the film built up, especially in the first half, just can't be satisfied here.

However, even though the film squanders so much of its potential, the bottom line is that it's still a tense mystery thriller with horror elements that offers decent entertainment thanks to the good actors and some effective effects. For a thrilling home cinema evening, this is definitely enough!

Picture + Sound: Technically, the disc is on a good level. The color scheme is atmospheric, the sharpness is overall on a decent level and thanks to good contrasts, there are only small weak points to spot even in the many darker moments. The sound has a few very good effects to offer, which provide a good goosebumps. Otherwise, the dialogue and atmospheric soundtrack dominate the proceedings. Good!

Extras: In addition to the trailer and some program tips, the DVD offers the interested viewer just under 30 minutes of interviews with the directors and the actors. There are some interesting details to discover here, but overall the interviews have a very high promotional character and therefore remain unfortunately rather superficial.

Conclusion: "Shelter" is an atmospheric horror thriller, whose interesting premise is unfortunately not resolved quite satisfactorily. Still, the good cast and solid direction make the film worth watching. Technically well implemented, the DVD actually disappoints only in terms of bonus material. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp