"Hide and Seek" seems to think all it needs to do is rely on the innate creepiness of its star. And no, not Robert De Niro.

Young Dakota Fanning, whose mature-for-her-age demeanor makes her seem otherworldly and at least a bit spooky, is the primary focus here.

De Niro plays David Callaway, a widower whose wife (Amy Irving) recently killed herself. So he's decided to move to upstate New York, to one of those eerie little communities that only seem to exist in thrillers like this one.

David is hoping that the change of location will allow him to reconnect with his daughter, Emily (Fanning), who's become standoffish. Which only gets worse as she seems to be retreating into a fantasy world. She claims to have a friend named Charlie, who has a malignant influence on her, manifested initially with gruesome drawings and then with mutilated dolls and worse.

Wanting to believe the best about his daughter, David begins to wonder if Charlie might be real — especially since a neighbor (Robert John Burke) seems obsessed with Emily, and some other locals are exhibiting bizarre behavior as well.

There is also a plot twist that comes about two-thirds in, which is supposed to be shocking, but is actually one of the least-surprising, least-scary "surprises" in recent memory. It may provoke more laughter than chills.

Still, it's a welcome development. Up to that point, the film is practically sleepwalking, so the introduction of something hackneyed and silly at least makes it a little more interesting.

The film is also hobbled by a mean-spirited, misogynistic streak, as some of its female characters (including Elisabeth Shue and Famke Janssen) are basically treated as "fodder" for the increasingly murderous Charlie.

Frankly, it's hard to see what De Niro saw in this project, aside from a paycheck. His performance seems very uninspired, though he's certainly not alone.

"Hide and Seek" is rated R for disturbingly violent and gory images, as well as a stabbing and a shooting, scattered use of strong sexual profanity, and a brief sex scene (mostly overheard). Running time: 109 minutes.

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