Intruders (15)

Starring: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten

Supernatural chillers from Spain are becoming nearly as unavoidable as procedural thrillers from Scandinavia.

The puzzle of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's film is how its dual stories will link up. The first, in Madrid, concerns the nightmares of a young boy (Izá* Corchero), who fears being snatched away by a hooded intruder he calls Hollowface. The second, in London, concerns a young girl (Ella Purnell) who appears to be plagued by exactly the same visions, much to the dismay of her father (Clive Owen). Intruders taps into primal fears of both parents (how do I protect my child?) and children (what horror lurks under the bed?), but its impact is somewhat muffled by the wavering between these two poles. The scares just aren't that scary, and Owen merely reprises his impersonation of a man in the throes of a catastrophic breakdown.