Secrets in the Walls

New house renovations kick off a distressing chain of events for frantic divorcée Jeri Ryan and her two daughters in this derivative ghost story. But though the increasingly far-fetched film hasn't got a single original idea - borrowing liberally from the likes of Stir of Echoes and The Haunting in Connecticut - competent acting and a creepy atmosphere keep things watchable, as a female spectre gradually homes in on eldest child Kay Panabaker. Being a TV movie, the supernatural activity is well watered-down, consisting largely of loud noises and repetitive jump scares; while the narrative focus remains on the family issues these disturbances exacerbate and create. It's these emotion-centred aspects that hold the feature together, particularly in its silly and contrived dénoument.