Overview: A supernatural thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar ("The Grudge," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as Joanna Mills, a tough young Midwesterner determined to learn the truth behind the increasingly terrifying supernatural visions that have been haunting her. Joanna has made a successful career for herself, as sales representative for a trucking company. But her private life has been difficult; estranged from her father (Sam Shepard), stalked by an obsessed ex-boyfriend (Adam Scott), and with few friends, Joanna fears that she is losing control. She sees and feels the brutal murder of a young woman she's never met, at the hands of a heartless killer # a man who appears to be making Joanna his next target.

DVD Verdict: Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a trucking company saleswoman who goes from town to town to visit potential clients. Joanna (Gellar) has been having recurring visions and waking nightmares about a woman being murdered. Guided by the visions, she goes to La Salle, Texas to seek answers about the woman and her killer who might just be after her next. We learn that Joanna and her father have been in a car accident when she was eleven years old that changed her completely. Who is the woman she sees in her visions? Is everything related?

The trailers for this film will have you think you're gearing up to watch a supernatural horror film; make no mistake, this film is a thriller, and not a horror film. The first half-hour is extremely slow-paced and quite uninteresting. I just couldn't get into this movie. As the story unfolds, I became curious to see how things would turn out, desperately hoping there was more going on than what was on the surface. Sadly, there wasn't much behind the shell of this film. The twist ending disappointed me terribly. Go in the special features on the DVD and watch the alternate ending, which is, in my opinion, a much more satisfying ending. By changing a few details in the plot, that ending could've been used and would definitely have been a more powerful way to finish the film.

On the up side, the director shows promise with stylish compositions, shaky cam shots that put you in the middle of the action (and manage to make you jump once or twice). Gellar gives a subdued performance appropriate for the part. The supporting cast is also effective in their roles. The score was subtle, the cinematography made you feel Texas in all its glorious heat and Joanna's nightmares at their seedy best.

If you're looking for a horror film, look elsewhere. If you're a fan of Gellar, you might enjoy it more than I did. Other than that, I can't recommend this film; it just didn't make the passing grade in my book. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

The Making of "The Return": Creation of a Nightmare featurette
Deleted Scenes: The Terror You Never Saw
The Alternate Ending: Too Shocking for the Big Screen

www.TheReturnMovie.net