Schrader's intelligent, quietly subversive pic emphasizes spiritual agony over horror ecstasy, while paying occasional lip-service to the need for scares.

The frights, the scares, they just weren't there.

It's a good, thoughtful horror picture -- and thiiis close to being a very good one.

Schrader’s version still has its issues, but it’s at least more interesting than the DTV-level schlock that was The Beginning.