The Gift is much more than a boilerplate Hollywood horror film…

Edgerton and Bateman put in very good performances in a story that depends entirely on our inability to trust their characters.

The Gift is uniformly intense without being heavy. Not for one second does it drag. If you enjoy psych-thrillers, there will be plenty to think about long after the end credits have rolled. Do not miss this one.

What really drives the movie home are the excellent performances from the entire cast. Edgerton is delightfully strange, while Bateman is pretentious in an endearing kind of manner. The only wasted opportunity is the superb Allison Tollman from ‘Fargo’ is cast in a minor role that doesn’t add anything to the story. But that’s only a minor complaint in an otherwise awesome movie. As far as thrillers with smart thrills go, it doesn’t get better than ‘The Gift’.

On the technical front, the film has good production values. The camera work, the background score and editing are precisely noteworthy. With a couple of terrific jump scares, the film certainly has its share of actual fright, but the real terrors are in the mind.

The film is worth watching for its treatment.