Horror homage could afford a couple more scares

AS Singapore's first Hollywood horror film, The Faith of Anna Waters is an ambitious project for writer-director Kelvin Tong, to say the least.

Starring Mad Men actress Elizabeth Rice and Gossip Girl actor Matthew Settle, the US-Singapore co-production has the potential to reach an international audience and cash in on the wave of the genre that has been making a comeback, thanks to director James Wan and producer Jason Blum whose Insidious movies have made a killing at the box office.

But The Faith of Anna Waters' attempt to cover too many bases is ultimately a letdown. The overstuffed plot is disjointed and Tong goes overboard with paying homage to various horror films, to the point that you feel you've seen it all before.