It really was everything I want in a horror film; scary, beautiful, excellent acting, and a storyline that is both simple and imaginative at the same time. This is definitely the kind of film that will be on my mind for quite a while.

This quite a good horror film with an effectively moody and, somewhat, creepy story and a pretty damn excellent ending that will surprise some people. I don't mean surprising in the sense that it gives us a great twist that completely changes the story but I do mean in the sense that you're really not expecting that to happen. I thought the film was good from the start but I think the ending does make the movie better because it gives it a much more disturbing touch, particularly the end result of the manipulation by these "demons". The movie combines ghost story with flashes of fairly violent imagery of what happened in David's house back in 1902. It's also well-written, solidly acted and well-shot. I honestly thought that the usage of the old camera did actually make for a creepier element to some of the scenes where David uses the camera to reveal the 'man' who committed these murders in his house. I do think the movie becomes a little muddled, in a sense, by combining two different ghost stories into one. What does Alice's ghost, David's wife, whom he believes was murdered by the same man who committed the atrocities in his house, have anything to do with the spirit/demon/ghost plaguing David's house. If they did explain what one had to do with the other then I seriously missed it because I cannot comprehend what one has to the with the other. That is, perhaps, the film's only weakness really. I don't wanna say it's a movie that's a scare-a-minute. And it's not even as good as The Babadook was, from an overall perspective, since parts of this reminded me of the aforementioned film. But if you're looking for a more straightforward horror film as compared to The Babadook then this would be the safe bet. Still, in spite of its flaws, I think this is a movie that will surprise a lot of people since there are, generally, lower expectations with horror films than with almost any other genre in existence. This is quite the good movie with a good and creepy ghost story. Perhaps the dialogue could've used some work, but this is a good movie to watch on Netflix.

Strange when two very similar movies come out on the same year and both are equally great for very different reasons. The Canal has a lot in common with The Babadook but dealing with very different themes and a very different approach. Whilst Babadook was more traditional on its narrative, giving an ambiguous but flawed ending; The Canal is ambiguous right from the start and gives a conclusion that's too neat and tidy. Still, with lush cinematography and sound design, a very strong but quiet performance from the lead, The Canal is a rather solid entre for Kavanagh's filmography.