Film review: Dark Skies (15)

Spookiness in suburbia. Scott Stewart's otherworldly chiller works up a decent level of suspense in spite of cleaving to old tricks.

A married couple (Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton) notice odd things happening in their home – groceries on the floor, alarms going off, birds in a mass attack – and when their son starts talking about visitations from "The Sandman" they really get the wind up. Oh, and they all randomly slip into catatonic states, not unlike film critics after a long day.

It all points in one direction (the one that says, "We are not alone") and you can almost time the arrival of the standard plot moves: creepy sightings on security-cam footage, disguised dream sequences, a visit to the paranormal expert (J K Simmons) who assures them they're not nuts. Some frights, but nothing you haven't jumped at before.